Ep. 359: WWF's Royal Rumble 1988 (Part 1)

It's the lapsed fan wrestling podcast with Jack and crn SEO and JP Sorrows the lapsed fans get all my years rustling, I never seen anything like it, and it's the laps fan name by the one in the ring to get about the slatter with the real King of swing. When the bell goes in, then kick like me throne in the corner of a splash like stay even Jerry King can take off the clown nodding his head like hiss d low brown which you get low down, go even high up, flip you on your head.

But you know, coul Driver, you speaking more knowledge and dragon spits fire keep you more shocked than my head. Tree tires drop a more truth than the cond of sniper less you with a coconut, Roddy Piper checking jpe be like j y D drop the cupcakes and golden the brain, by means the best podcast fun start to close. Rind if y'all a pose spent a lot of time Boss in twenty twenty three talking about origin stories. Didn't we yes we did not the origins of Hulk Hogan, but the you know the

oranges pardon the pun oranges on the fur Freudland slip. Yeah, but the origins of the modern Hulk Hogan that only tier Ah you can trisually give us a window into and continues to um. The fumes continue to pollute the air, and I think it's time. I think it's time. As we enter the summer here, we're smacked out in the middle of the summer. As a matter of fact, by the time we got to it. It's time to look at a new origin story. It's time to move past the journey.

It's time to start to explore how other things that define our wrestling fanhood came to be. It's time, yes, to look at the very first Royal Rumble thoughts. Uh okay, I got a lot of thoughts. I got a lot of thoughts. And of course by the very first, we mean the first televised one. Yes, because this is the thirty at the anniversary. Let's not forget that this is the thirty fifth anniversary, and we

probably would have done in January had it not been for teenage. So um, okay, number one, hold on, I'm gonna have this ready. Number one. When did you first know about this Royal Rumble? That is a great question. Um, late nineties I knew in nineteen ninety two, that's correct. And why did you know in nineteen ninety two, even though because of WWE Wrestling the official book, motherfucker, So no other place, no other place at that time. I mean, you got to think about

this, Okay, nobody ever mentioned the nineteen eighty eight Royal Rumble. I don't know why they didn't, but they never did until until the nineties, right when they started talking about it being you know, blah blah. But in ww Wrestling the book it says this, and I remember, I'm I'm like a twelve, eleven, twelve year old kid, Okay, eleven year old kid reading this all right, and I'm reading this cover to cover eleven

twelve year old kid, You're already a massive fan of the Rumble. Yeah, yoh, hugh, Yes, yes, yes, I'd only known about it since December of ninety one, but I had already watched all of them by this point, easily again my favorite pay per view. So I go, I flipped through the pages and I'm reading all of them. They have a whole section on the first seven WrestleManias and then it says then it comes to a section called get to Grips with the WWE, and it's basically covering

the other shows that they do during during the year. The Big Four first one, it's a Royal Rumble and says this right at the beginning, starting in January nineteen eighty eight, I was like, what what are you talking? One eighty eight? It makes no sense. I thought it was a typo. It continues. The WWE's Royal Rumble is a unique event in wrestling. It's highlight is a thirty man Battle Royal. Wrestlers are eliminated by being ousted from the ring over the top rope. The last man in the ring

is the winner. Given that it is every man for himself, there are no friends or allies in the Royal Rumbles. Battle Royal, even tag team partners have gone on one another. What makes this Battle Royal different, however, is that wrestlers enter the ring by the luck of the draw. They draw numbers by chams. Numbers one and two enter the ring first. Every two minutes after that, another wrestler enters until the man who drew number thirty

is the last man to join the fray. This means that wrestlers who draw high numbers will be fresher than those who entered earlier. And that's its first paragraph. And I'm like, okay, so obviously it wasn't TYPEO what they meant to say. It was January nineteen eighty nine. I get it, no problem. Well, how did you form your reception that nine was the

first rumble because that's the only that's the last video cassette. Then every went further further in time, so you could find eighty nine Rumble at your local videos store. Oh yeah, I couldn't want to find the eighty nine rumble, one of them. I could find. I found it in one place. So to me, the ninety rumble was the first one in my head. How holy shit? Hold on though, this is where this is where

I my mind was blown. The winner of the first Royal Rumble Battle Royal on cable television but not yet on pay per view, was Hack saw Jim doing. I went through twenty third. By the way, they're only twenty fucking people in that role the first rumble, So that's a big, big mess. But I'm like, I saw that and all of a sudden my mind was blown. There is a missing Royal Rumble. Oh my god, there is a missing rumble, and so it took me. M h,

hold on, are you there something weird just happened? Okay, something weird to hear that. I don't know what the brother, brother, what the brother? I guess it isn't over, um, I guess not. It took until you and I were in college, and I got that when I were in college and I got that that video off eBay, that video you and I watched, Remember that you and I watched? Remember that sort of

yeah, okay, it was a home video. Someone taped it off TV and taped it off and you and I watched it up in uh up in seabrook up in seok Wow, wow, wow. Summer we watched them that summer. Well, we also watched the Real Sports with Roddy Piper thing. It's remember And what was mind blowing to us? What was about the video tape that we were watching? The video tape that was that it was was

that the commercials were all in New England commercials. The commercials were so someone commercials from New England and taped this show and happened and I bought this tape from that ridiculous and I bought this tape. Do you still have the vhs I do. I was. I was tempted to use it as my source to get them, but it's the quality so bad. But I keep it as a mentality of sorts that I keep it at the memento. Yeah. Yeah, so that's yeah, that's number one when I think of that.

Number two when I think of is the worst match on this show is better than anything we've been watching in tenah been watching like I just was, I get warm and fuzzies watching the fucking Islanders versus Jim Powers and and Paul Roma for Foxers and and Paul Roma for fox sake. Yeah, that's saying something I did not. I was just I was just like feeling it, just like this is it. This is the good stuff. It was like, this is it? This is the good stuff. Yeah, it's detail totally.

I mean, it's wrestling when people showed up hoping their favorites one and their at least favorites lost, and that was the beginning and the end of it. And it's not, you know, a hugely well regarded show historically, because the fact of the matter is, WWF had no big plans for this event, no conception that this would be an annual spectacular. Certainly no conception that this would be number two on the pay per view calendar after WrestleMania.

This show was put together because they wanted to fuck with Crockett and the bunk House Stampede, and because USA after the Slammy's, had an appetite for more live style specials that weren't just you know, pre taped primetime wrestling and so cy and they got the Rumble, and it was already a date booked for Hamilton, Ontario on the calendar for a standard era house show. It wasn't something that they set up. Has come out and see this brand new

concept, the Royal Rumble. As far as I can tell, most of the early tickets of BOO for this thing where people that didn't necessarily know about the Royal Rumble or expected just that WWS is coming through time that they were red hot coming off WrestleMania three, of course, especially of course around Toronto, which is a market adjacent to Detroit, where WrestleMania took place and where Summer Slam is going to sell out Ford Field again for twenty twenty three,

all these years later. But the rumble was, yeah, I mean, you're gonna talk about it. I know you are, But it wasn't. Wasn't the rumble the rumble idea? I mean it was. I mean, you know it's Pat Patterson's correct, But but wasn't didn't they do a test or something that just totally bombed? Yes, it failed to inspire. Let's put it that way. Ye. The very first Royal Rumble was actually October fourth, nineteen eighty seven, at the Keel Auditorium in Saint Louis. It's

a house show. It was a twelve man rumble and the One Man Gang won the match after eliminating j y D. Is there a tape of that? No, I defy it, putting the solar system to find it. I mean, I mean not. I mean, is it one of those that's in the vault and we can I don't know. Inasmuch as they ran tape for all their house shows back then. You gotta remember this is the ABC towns. These are the days, the whole cog and Salad days where you ran three, sometimes four cities on the same night. You split your

crew up all different ways. In fact, a lot of the key play years like Randy Savage, Demolition and others aren't even in Hamilton's for this, because, like I said, this was just part of the Canadian loop that they had already had on the schedule, with no plans for one of these to be a live television special or anything like that. So the wrestlers they had available, of the wrestlers they had available, a lot of key players

aren't even in the Rumble. Think about wee Randy Savage is about to go at WrestleMania four in nineteen eighty eight, and he's nowhere to be found on

the Rumble broadcast. I think if they had a little more you know, leeway, a little more round foresight on what was going to happen, that would have been taken care of. So my point is if they did begin to make it a habit to run, you know, handheld cameras or whatever the case might be for all their house shows going forward, I don't think it would have started as early as nineteen eighty eight because that's a whole lot of tape, that's a whole lot of shows, and they weren't really of

the television mindset yet. Of course, when it came time to produce a Saturday night's main event under the watchful Eye of Dick Ebersol, which as we know started at nineteen eighty five. Yeah, their game got up, but that was sort of like you know, third parties, Dick Ebersolt, NBC other people helping them really dress something up for a television spectacular or Other than that, they were still pretty much, you know, a big marathon five

hour television taping promotion. Still based mainly around house shows, still based mainly around garden shows, Philly Spectrum shows, Boston garden shows of course, Maddison Square, Maple Leaf Gardens, and all the other major arenas that they had managed to penetrate, and many of them challenged Jim Crockett and run Bill Watts out of business in, run Fritz bon Eric out of business in, run vern Ganya out of business in. But they're still a live arena business first

and foremost. That's what they show up to do. And it's interesting here Bruce Pritchard on his podcast talk about the conception for this show because he had come in in eighty seven and was a key part of putting this together. And you know, the original card was just a house showcard. It was just going to be put on television because USA network had needs, and they saw a opportunity to once again crowd out Jim Crockett on a pay per view

effort, the bunk House Stampede at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. Of course, a little too close to roll WWFHQ to not be fucked with, thank you very much. But this is that time period where Crockett and Dusty thought out, you know, we're still they still had their gander up, They still thought they could fight, They still thought they had a chance. They still thought there was any other way it could end besides Vince pissing in

their face and making them work for him. Of course, that they were starting to push into you know, WWF stronghold cities and start to try to do big two doos. They had their first pay per view, of course,

Starcade eighty seven. But as we've chronicled on the Memorial Tour and other forums, I was not only countered by the Survivor Series Thanksgiving, but it was also basically crowded out of almost every major market in the country by Vince McMahon, who, coming off WrestleMania three, had an ultimatum for folks. He said, you know what if you carry Starcade nineteen eighty seven, you're not gonna get WrestleMania four. And that's after tasting that sweet nectar of WrestleMania

three. That's a problem with that. I don't, that's just that's just a good business practice. I practice good business. So it was, you know, not a match that didn't It was a match that did not evoke a strong enough response when it was tried in Saint Louis that Vince mc dan had confidence that they should do it again, or that they should do anything further with it. Of course, the Battle Royal is in the annual tradition

in just about every you know, pre WWF national expansion territory. There was in particular in San Francisco, which of course is where Pat Patterson truly cut his teeth working under roy Shire in San Francisco, and the Battle Royal in January he was one of the big annual attractions for you know, a big purse. It was like everyone puts money in and the winner wins all the money. And usually they were like twenty men rumbles Battle Royals, I should

say. They used to do some in Houston, Paul Bosh, where Bruce Pritchard cut his teeth. They used to do twenty two man to ring twenty two thousand dollars ones. So you had the Battle Royal that actually won that kind of money. Right now, it was all work, right, total capeabe. Whereas you know, unlike w Yeah, if the original rumbles, you pretty much just won for the bragging rights of having said you won.

The match. Wasn't really until ninety three, right or ninety two was for the title, but at the first time it was you know, the winner, the winner gets the title shot, right, And now it doesn't even matter. That doesn't matter, right, I mean, you know, I kind of I kind of can't believe we're there where it's like, you know, it's a big deal, but they so rarely consummate right the you know what I mean, in the in the way that you've been trained to think.

The Royal Rumble is supposed to signal a moment, and after a while, if you stopped giving it to people, they're kind of not going to take the rumble as seriously. They'll sell the place out and they'll love the match and the unpredictability of it and the creativity of it. But you're you're you're sacrificing something big. If nine times out of ten the Rumble winner doesn't win the title at WrestleMania, hart stop. I mean, let's look at

this here. Okay, Cody didn't win, Brock Brock didn't win, right Edge didn't win. What's the problem? What do you? I guess drew one? Uh, Seth well, I didn't even know Seth Rollins won one? Did Seth Rowlands women? No? Well, I guess no, he did that. I guess he did in the opening match. But that doesn't even count in my opinion. Am I lost because you can't if you're supposed

to main event WrestleMania. Yep. Knakama lost and by the way lost main event the main belt right, the brand extension and the split, the draft split. It ruined a number on the rumble. It did a number on the rumble, and it took years to recover where it was like, all right, well, you know I want you seriously, I'm gonna keep on going because little police, you'll be my guest. Triple H lost, but

he also won the title that night, but he still lost. WrestleMania, Roman Reigns lost, Batista lost, John Cena one, and shamoosed one so like, dating back to twenty thirteen, ten years, Drew McIntyre is the only person to win the main event of WrestleMania. Yes, Seth Rollins won his championship match the opening of WrestleMania thirty five, But that's what I mean. That doesn't count Drew McIntyre in the last ten years. In the last

ten years, the Royal Rumbo winner hasn't won the fucking match. And let's be honest, if it wasn't the COVID WrestleMania, they'd have shown up to that Mania that year and tuck themselves into Brock beating McIntyre. Of course, that's your fucking ass. Of course that's disgraceful. I mean, it's just it's such a it's such an unnecessary watering down of the match. Yea, in most years, you know, Romans going through a rain now where yeah, I understand, let's you know, you don't want to cut it short

just because you want to protect the significance of the rumbled match. But I don't know, for the past decade plus, I feel like it's been twenty years since I've I feel like, not since Ben waugh One or Batista one have I watched the Rumble and said, all right, that guy's going to be closing the show at Mania and I can look forward to that. Yeah, Ray Masteria Ray didn't close the show after the year after Batista. I don't think it didn't close the show. The Rumble is not a tool to

get a lower card match boosted out man. Sorry, John Cena didn't close the show. Randy Yorton did close the show. Yep, but this is also John Cena. Also, let's not forget in two thousand and eight he didn't actually go to WrestleMania with his title shot. He decided to cash in it. No way out. Oh, for God's sae. Remember that? Remember when Alberto did he win or did he want to win that? He he won the forty man and then he won the forty man match of WrestleMania,

just lost and he lost. I mean, what the fuck? Guys? Shamus the next year, same thing that he was. He won the Rumble in twenty twelve and then opened and just destroyed h Daniel Bryan in two minutes two seconds rather two seconds. So thirty five years later, they still haven't perfected it, that's for sure. Well, no, no, no, they had perfected it, they just ruined it. Yeah, yeah, they had us. You know, they had a very very predictable pattern where

if they really wanted to make somebody, they could do it. And now they get cute every single time and harm the rumble yep, um, especially when it's somebody like if you're gonna put somebody over in the rumble who's had the belt before, it's less of a big deal if they don't succeed at wrestling, right, But what if somebody's card of like this is like the thing they've got to get. You invested in somebody as a top guy and they don't consummate. It's like, what did you waste that equity for?

You know, I mean you look at two thousand and one, But from from two thousand on here Rock one, Stone Cold one, Triple H one, brock Lesner one, Chris ben Wah one, Batista one, and then Ray Mysterio started this fucking down, right, that's right, then we go off the edge, yep, yep. Batista is the last one to really go up. I don't think any of these other ones. Yeah, and that's just say we're not pining for the nineties here, we're pining for like

just way after the era. You think we're nostalgia, we're pining. We're pining for the Rumble winner to actually main event WrestleMania, right like they're supposed to anyway, even if it is, I'll tell you what, even if they are, if you decide you are using the Rumble too to to to elevate a lower card match, you fucking better put that in the main event. Absolutely, all right, that's just the way it's got to be.

Have some balls, exactly. But I think you know, when we look back to nineteen eighty seven, it's it's important to remind ourselves that this is not a creation that Vince mcmah as ever lay claim to, as successful as it's been, as much of a lynch pin as it's been. This is something that you know, and we'll hear from Pat Patterson in terms of the things he said and wrote about the creation of the match, and he was still left wanting for the Rumble to be a little more prestigious than Vin's ever

wanted it to be. Like we said, the early Rumbles were just, you know, you won for the honor of winning, with no particular stakes. The champion and Hogan winning, it's like it doesn't go anywhere. It's just it's over that night, It's over. They did use it, you know, to build a Hogan Warrior in nineteen ninety in terms of the mid match face off. Sure, and that's always been a wonderful part of the Rumble as building storylines within the match itself. But you know, ninety two

was epic, but they were sort of forced into that position. They found themselves in a place where they didn't quite know who to put the strap on. And the Rumble presented a solution to the problem, just like the Rumble

nineteen eighty eight presented a solution to a problem. And that we've got this live television special time that USA Network wants us to fail, and we don't really have an idea with any oomph that as we'll talk about Dick eber Saw saw any excitement in particular excitement in and so you know, Vince has never really been It doesn't seem like as gung ho as others have been about making

the Rumble mean more than just about anything WW does every year. Right, and the problem with the nineteen eighty seven match, according to you know, the lore of it and we'll get a bit into what you know has been said by participants and Patterson about this rumble is that it was sort of like communicated the idea of the match through intermediaries. Pat Patterson wasn't at the Keel Auditorium to direct the thing. Which is a very important part of the rumble

is that someone shows up with the full plan and vision. Who comes in, when, who goes out, when, who interacts when? How the actual mechanics work of who throws who out? The nineteen eighty seven Rumble, according to all accounts, had no sort of countdown between entrance, which is

right the magic of the match, Yeah, exactly. That innovation has been credited to Dick Ebersol, who, when hearing of the concept of the rumble, thought it was perfect with television, and in particular because he suggested adding the countdown clock to the screen. Wow, and not only that, adding the countdown clock in the arena itself so you can get the crowd as well

counting down. Think of the rumble without that, Think of the rumble where suddenly someone just runs out next right, And you've never seen it, You've never been excited by it before. You didn't grow up in the Golden Age, like we did. We're renting the stuff on VHS was magic in terms of being your orientation to the Rumble match and all the wrestlers that had introduced

you. To think about if you've never even heard of the Royal Rumble and you're sitting there in October fourth, nineteen eighty seven in Saint Louis and like, these guys just keep running in the ring. It just doesn't work. There isn't the big long Howard Finkel introduction and reading of the rules. All those things happened because they found themselves in need of an idea. And Vince turns to Patterson and says, picture Rumble thing, because you know, obviously

we don't. We don't have enough Jews to satisfy the TV experts that were partnering with here to put this live special on. But yeah, I mean, if it exists on tape somewhere and it hasn't been released, I mean that to me, that's a first degree felony. Someone needs to go to jail if this match exists on tape. And how I agree? I mean, Jesus, I'll talk about the ultimate hidden gem honestly, So I invite you to take a look at this boss. Okay, this is a print

ad building that first twelve man Royal Rumble in the newspaper at Keel. Look at it except except the time and place it puts you in and read it for the people. We're rousting Entertainment This Sunday, October fourth, thirty pm, Keel Auditorium. For the first time in wrestling history, a twelve man Royal Rumble Rumble starts with two men in the ring. One is added every two minutes. Entrance are eliminated by being thrown over the top rope. The

lone survivor left in the ring is the winner. Mister Wonderful Paul Orndorff versus Rick Rude plus a pose down decided by the fans before the battle. Ricky Steamboat versus King Kong, Bundy One Man Gang versus Junkyard Dog, Morocco versus Horton Hillbilly versus Volkoff, British Bulldogs versus Demolition plus a Girl's World title match. Get tickets at Keel and all ticket Now outlets, including Famous Bar Programs.

Something to Change, Regis trademarket Titan Sports Incorporated. Headshots there of Paul Orndorf, King Kong, Bundy and Junkyard Dog. Imagine going to this show having no idea. I'll tell you you know, if I saw that, I'd be like, I gotta go, I gotta go. I need to know what this is. And I said that it was eventually promoted as the winner. I don't know if it's promoted or just announced on the night. The winner of this Royal Rumble will get a world title shot the next time

WWF comes to the Keel Auditorium. Wow. So the notion of the winner of the Rumble getting a title shot dates all the way back to the very first one. But again just to how show attraction or as I know, Narya Peep said on any WWF television show about this, even in the syndicated shows in Saint Louis, I've never heard of like, you know, a bumper or something where people are cutting promos about this upcoming Royal Rumble thing.

And you can tell by the way they promote the nineteen eighty eight one and how they start shooting promos for it that it's all kind of being cobbled together from this kind of loosely formed idea that a few of the wrestlers and participants being asked to cut promos about it have a firm grasp on. Yet it doesn't even seem like until people got to the Cops Coliseum in Hamilton for this January twenty four, nineteen eighty eight event, that they really even knew how

the Royal Rumble worked. And there was actually something approaching panic backstage among the wrestlers who aren't just able to go out there and do their routine. There's a lot to suddenly think about to get the Rumble right, and you're on live television, no less. So it was quite a quite a deal. So go ahead, I said, I'll say it is quite a deal. The full results, according to the papers, um was hill Billy Jim over Nikolai Morocco over. Oh my god, I don't know what newspaper this is

from. It says hill Billy Jim over Nikolai Bolcoff with the b Yes, what's wrong on that? It says Manif Morocco defeating cowboy Bob Gordon. Okay, again, I don't see the problem. The gang beats some dogs, so the game wins the Rumble and he's wrestling a singles match. Earlier in the night. It's not like all I would bet that all the guys who wrestled single matches were in the were in the Rumble. Yeah, there's seven matches, so yeah, but the seventh was a woman's match, so you

got it. Brother all came back. Worndorff beat Rude Haynes who just come into the company. Haynes beat Davey Boy, pardon me Haynes, and Davey Boy beat the demolition. It says demolitions plural. Of course dynamite was unavailable. Are you for demolitions? And the uh yeah, just these are you know, the wrestling types exactly. Billy Haynes doing a double duty comes back to beat King Kong Bundy, and then Sherry beats Velvet McIntyre before the Rumble

match is won by Gang. Sound have been a Hogan show? You know. It's there's like Sandwich isn't on this It's like there's nothing here. Nah, it's just like, let's spice up this house show. You know,

in a major city and a major arena for professional wrestling for sure. I mean we've the Colisseum Collection and another venue is talked about how hard and a sort of concentrated Vinceus Push wasn't a Saint Louis as this a venerable wrestling city with its you know, pretty much the richest tradition of any city in the country due to being the you don't you're talking about tradition. See you say tradition, and I see an appetizer that's correct, and I'm gonna eat it.

I'm gonna eat I'm gonna tell you this, all right, comes when it comes to Keel Auditorium, I'm gonna have a nice plate of Keel parmesan, a Keel lime pie or a Kiel lime pie. All right, that's the way it's going to be, and I'm According to Bruce Pritchard on his podcast, he said that a Chief Jay Strongbow was the agent for this house show, this Royal Rumble in nineteen eighty seven and just didn't get it and had trouble sort of communicating the vision to the wrestlers and no clocker buzzer guys

running in every so often. Crowd didn't grasp what that was all about, what it was supposed to mean. It didn't have a presentation to it, whereas on television, you know, you can talk about who's coming up next, and the announcers can build the anticipation, they can sort of point you to what you're supposed to be looking forward to. But if you're sitting there in the arena and you've never seen it presented on television, it is very

hard to understand what a royal rob course. I mean again, if especially don'trom a countdown and yeah, we talk a lot about this one, and like, you know, you said it right off the top, people have this sort of vague notion that there was a Royal Rumble before the nineteen eighty eight one and that it wasn't, you know, terribly successful. I don't know though, if people know about all of the other Royal rumbles that happened

after, are you fucking kidding me? They essentially took the Rumble on the road after this USA Network special and did it in cities all over the country. The fuck. So it's kind of specious when we talk about all the Royal Rumble winners in history. It's almost like art of war games. Most like we shit, no one talks about the nineteen ninety one war games that happened all over the country with Elga Hunte. Did you know this before I

did? Not know that there were this many house show rumbles after the first one on television. No I knew there was at least one, But there were ones in New York, there were ones at the Cow Palace. There

were ones all over the place. Essentially the way Bruce Pritchard described it as it was almost a way to give guys a chance to rest and take it really easy in the months leading up to the big show WrestleMania, but still make the towns and work matches because of course, you know, a royal rumble doesn't require a lot of exertion or big bump taking right right, So

look at this one. This is an article about Jake Roberts winning a Oh My Gone, a Royal Rumble at the Meadowlands that no one even knows about from ADI eight. Why don't you hit people with this piece? Roberts rocks in Royal Rumble? Got that right, Jake the Snake. Robberts was the shining light of last night's doubleheader World Rusling Entertainment card in the Meadowlands Arena. The two hundred and forty eight pounder from Stone Mountain, Georgia was the only

grappler to emerge unbeaten on the long card. Jake won the twenty one man twenty one man twenty one man Royal Rumblin came back to earn a draw in a man to man match with Hercules her Nandez. I invite you to consider that Jake the Snake Roberts has won a Royal Rumble. I am all about it because I had, I had. Jake won a number of Royal Rumbles

in march Y bro Universe. His brilliance last night established Roberts is one of the contenders for the vacant WWE title, which will be decided during WrestleMania four during Rustlemania four card at Atlantic City's Convention Hall March twenty seventh. Rules for the Royal Rumble, which was being held in a New Jersey ring for the first time, call for each wrestler to draw a number. Numbers one and two start the battle, and the others in number rotation joined the skirmish at

an a minute and a half intervals. Don Morocco and Hernandez began the began the action. There were eight wrestlers in action before Brian Blair was the first to be eliminated. The action was wild and it became its wildest when it got down to the final four Honky Donk Man, Ricky Steamboat, Rick Rude, and Roberts. Steamboat was the first of the four finalists to be tossed

over the rope. Rude followed. Roberts then made a clever maneuver, grabbing the legs of Honky Tonk and tossing him over the rope for the victory. The match consumed forty minutes and thirty eight seconds of your time. Let's to say nothing of what one Man Gag consumed. On the next right, exactly

what the thing is. The match may have consumed forty minutes and thirty eight seconds, but how much food did the One Man Gang consume in forty minutes and thirty eight One Man Gang consumed four forty minutes and thirty eight seconds. You damn right. Hockey talk Man gained some consolation when he defeated Steamboat. In their singles bout, Randy Savage bested One Man Gang, and Don Morocco

outlasted Rude. In other singles bouts, the Young Stallions defeated the Conquistadors, The Heart Foundation conquered the Killer Bees, and the Champion Strike Force team of Tito Santana and Rick Martell vanquished Nikolai Volkoff and Borzookoff in tag team bouts that from The Jersey Journal March fifteenth, nineteen eighty eight. If you're trying to place exactly when this rumble would have been, so, I guess March fourteenth,

nineteen eighty eight. This is fucking consider that reality, big time, big whole ship going ahead. Everyone knows about the eighty seven test run. Very few realize that they just went all around the horn with the rumble. Match is just like a How Show attraction. So we've got to expand by like thirty because Didaci won one of the cow Palace whoa, We got to expand by several the amount of quote unquote rumble winners we recorded in the history

books. It's funny because the only one that I actually know of outside of of like the One Man Gang winning Matt one is um is the own Heart one in Madison Square Garden in like ninety four or something. Oh yeah, the heel Owen Heart. Yeah yeah. I didn't had no idea, amazing, no idea they had more. So, man, if that doesn't wet the appetite, I don't know what does for our coverage of the very first royal rumble, or at least, as we are to think of it,

the first rumble. WWF choose to acknowledge at least first Royal rumble that was on television the twenty four nineteen eighty eight Cops callisse M Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on the USA network is TLF gets back in the driver's seat and begins a campaign of full penetration for the year twenty twenty three. Of course, if we're going to wet the appetite, we need to wet our beaks as well. We need to wet those lips. We need to boss, I

don't know, get get appropriately sudds for the summer. The only one way to do that in a TLF approved fashion, and that's with our friends over at Papsed. It's that iron clad alliance between a cold can have Papst and a long hard edition on the Lapsed fan continues well into twenties from three.

You want to invite all you to support Papst and enjoy the full range of their beverages, the beer that doesn't allow you to take your tell yourself too seriously, even if you'd like to sort of lex TLF does each in every week, and so we want to thank and salute and crack a can and tip a glass to our friends at Papsed here as we embark on a post TNH reality here at the Lapsed Fan and I always appreciate PAPS support and doing that, and we appreciate your support for them as well as we hit a

hot papst Summer that PAPS Fan t shirt again at Pro Wrestling teas boss a game again and Summer Slam's coming up the hottest party of the summer yep, yep, oh yeah, oh yeah. And I understand a contingent of TLF fans are on the ground in Detroit. Folks on the discord on Patreon. I put together other a wonderful kind of like full Detroit wrestling experience, and we look forward to checking in with them as well as a survivor Syritt pardon

me as SummerSlam of course hits Detroit and it hits your Patreon. Those subscribe to us on Patreon, Patreon dot com. Slashed the Lapse Fan of course get our live calls of ww Premium live events as we watch Modern WWW so you don't have to the commentary that gives words to the thoughts you have in your mind when you watch wrestling today but just can't quite express clearly. We're

here for you on that, so join up. The VIP tier gets the call as it happens fresh out of the oven on pay per view night. The three sixteen tier gets it on a three day delay, and of course our high level big dick tiers like the twenty and fifty dollars tiers get it immediately as well. Yes, so we've we've done a lot of feedback shows lately in mailbag shows. You know the value proposition by now you've heard that

the auto Rojo read down. You know that the list is long enough that you can sort of swallow your pride and nobody will notice slip in falling at the pay for that cast worthy of our efforts, and you know, be a citizen that can look himself in the mirror, someone who pays for what instead tries to find a ways to sneak it for free. Absolutely, that's the only way you can do it, all right, you know because again, and you know we've said this, We've been saying this for now,

for for years. Okay, we've been saying it for years and I'm just gonna say it one more time. Do it because it makes you feel good exactly, all right, Get a rush, you get a dopamine rush. Do it because deep down you know that that is the only thing that can heal wounds, your personal DNS, your personal truth trouble. It's all right

there. Do you want to get better or not? If the answer was yes, Patreon dot com slash the lapsed fan add free versions of the show Deep dives a day before everybody else, the higher up you go under the cinemat, the eptor and above just crap, can what's next under the cinemat for these motherfuckers? I can't tell you. I'm killing the summer. The summers, say the summer, the summer, this summer. As we are, as we are heading towards the one hundredth episode, is is um is

going to be all secret? That's for sure, because it's just it's it's it's gonna be It's gonna be a lot of fun. And actually what I'm I'm very excited because I didn't even know the depth as to what the upcoming movie like, just the craziness around it. I had no idea. I thought it was a part of this ride with us, you know, the formula on the wrestling side, on the main TLFT podcast that you're listening to

right now. We just had a little moment of discovery there with rumbles that had nothing to do with right, Seriously, I mean, and those come so hard and so fast under the cinemat because no one spends more time than the boss does examining the wrestlers and the movies. I want to tell you something to a funny story that has to do with cinemat. So we we've we've had some guests over, some friends traveling in from Texas over the last um week, and so I was telling them, you know, they asked

about the podcast. You know, they'd like to hear stories, and so I said, oh, you know, I said to myself, you know what, Oh, this would be funny. They they'll get a kick out of this. And I told them, and only those you know who can who listened under the cinemat. No this when we did the Punisher episode, we talked, we did this whole thing out of this this random me randomly saying Carlyle and we're in reference to Carlyle Massachusetts and so I told them that.

I told him the whole story about that, right, thinking they'll find this funny that you know, da da, And they just looked at me like I was a fucking moron, like this kind of looked at me like, okay, what's so funny about that? And so and so I said to myself, I said, okay, you know what, try to like,

let's reverse it. Let's say you know, and it'd be so fun Imagine too, if if there was a Massachusetts, like a random patch of Massachusetts talking of of Texas that just happened to have, you know, this random group of people from Massachusetts who just talked with Massachusetts accents. I mean, that's crazy, right, same expression. Yes, complete dud. It's so amazing. That is as lapsed as it gets. It's a part of the reason, you know, the cast has so much vibrancy because finally people

like that have found each other. Yes, yes, and don't have to worry about you know, landing like a fart in church in the real world and respectable company. Absolutely amazing. So it was so crazy crazy. Of course, the Moat tier the strongest podcast supporters of any podcast on the planet.

That's our tip top tier where you get the Russell Mommia features this boss sits down with Mama sorrow and watches racing in a way that in a one of a kind way that elicits how it used to feel sitting on the living room carpet and um watching just an assortment, a monthly crew, a grab bag of matches. But by the time this drops, they will have seen motors, will have had access to listen to my mom and myself watch Bret

Hart versus Skinner from Tuesday in Texas. It's that kind of shit. It's either that or it's fucking Hogan vers Andre or undertake a verse by kind helen a self, or it's uh John versus Bobby Lashley. I mean, it's fucking wild, folks. I mean, you owe it to yourself. No

one that that takes the plunge regrets it. And of course if we have a little moment of inspiration between ourselves and we're like, you know, we got to share this with the solar system, the moteteers who we keep in mind firstactly look no further than us continuing the art of war games by attending the recent aw Blood and Gut show in Boston. Yeah, and providing our

live thoughts play by play for MOTE Tier members only. Much more of that to come, including the call when we hear about a wrestler passing inside to communicate with each other. We're going to do our damn just to UM record that and make it available to Mote Tier members only. It's all rocking and rolling. We mentioned UM Pro Wrestling teas Uh. Ton of stuff going on over there, yes, UM no harm in bringing folks up to date, Boss Pro Wrestling Tease dot Com, the Laps fans dot com, Slash the

Lapse Fan hopefully by you. You know, I found a glitch in one of my designs and so I went back to fix it. So, but what should be up this week? The new TLF Rustle Pania shirt. UM, that'll help tell people the origin. I mean, the Russell Pania really comes from WrestleMania this past year, you know, all the shit that we suffered through its correct? You know? I think I forget I think that it Did it start with UM with with Shane or was it Cody that started

that all Russell Pania? I don't know. That's a good question. I don't remember. I don't remember where it all began. But yeah, nonetheless, Uh, that's there We've got. Of course, Taz's Red Hook Diner is available, the tal the new TLF generation shirt, one Sting Moon, a ton of I mean just a fucking ton of of TNH references. Um. Uh, those who on the mot tier listen Russell Mammia, the the

Dan Cook t shirt based off of Mankind. Um. If you're wondering what the fuck that's about motors, all we can say motor up Chief Brunch, Perfect Snakes, that's one was one of my absolute favorites. I might have to get that. That's some some some point, giving the Perfect Snakes shirt one of my own Hasbro Universe tag teams and so so many I mean literally hundreds of shirts, hundreds of shirts available, So it's all there. It's

all flier colors. Next time you're an event, nothing tickles us more than to get two pictures the TLF steak Zone. Yeah, of course, so inclined this Barbecue Seasons LOPS Fan contactless combat shirt. Let's say that again. That's one. That's one thing that they held on to after the pandemic. Oh for sure. Of course, Burger in the Room shirt, that's another one. Yeah, we make these utterance as we say these things, you

know, ten years before the podcast exists. Now it's it's a shirt that people buy and where in cities, well we've never been to people will never meet from that ass the like in the in the style of the in your House logo. Oh that's yep, that's a winnervorites. I love that one. So yeah, it's a check us out. And we're reving up the engines again now that we're out of the muck and the myer of TNH on cameo. Um, yes, we know a lot of people have been missing

our availability on cameo and the boss is really stepping up once again. Boss let him know. Okay, there was one so cameo dot com slash the Lapse fan, there was one just like, I mean, listen, I appreciate it and I and I tried to go in as hard as I possibly could with it. All Right, So there was one, um a request about somebody celebrating twenty years of sobriety. Sure, and this was from a wife to their to their husband, and she was like, she loves you

guys. She just she said he want just have Vince going on him nothing's off the table. Yes, And I'm just like, you know, I really respect people who who who who are sober. I really do. I admire them and the commitment to that. So it's part of me's like, oh my god, like I I want to fulfill this guy's wishes, but I also feel like absolute shit. Well, I also know that lapsed Vince's nature is trying to knock him right off the back, right exactly, and so and so I I you know, I did go into him. I

you know, I you know laps. You know what. I guess you're you know, if you need if you if you need to be sober, I guess you're a lesser man than I am. Ah, that's a nice way to play it. So the whole thing, and you know, and Vince wanted to fuck his wife and stuff like that. So you know, it's been some weird one usual stuff. They're are totally weird ones. So so it up say that one's weird, but it reminds me of the week.

Yes, yeah, they're there are weird ones. I mean, let's not forget that that in cameos, Randy Savage has been shot and murdered. Um in cameos uh, we've had for some reason. I remember one with Brian Pillman and uh Johnny Ace running in the rain for some reason, or the discovery that Bob Backland's sister married the last editor. Yes, yep,

yep, yep, we turned it over to you folks. Yeah, a lot of a lot of lapsed character cannon has been has been written in the cameos, So great again for a quick shout out of friendly message, a birthday present, whatever the case might be. Put the lapsed fucking Murderers row of characters to work at cameo dot com slash the Lapsed fam We look forward

to servicing you in that way as well. And if you need inspiration, if you need things to key off of, and as we approach Lapsed X ten years of TLF next year, no better time to turn your attention to LATS. LATS the Lapsed Archive Transcription service run by our friend haste x Calhoun. You can email Lapsed Scribes at gmail dot com if you'd like to help

and to gain access what this is. It's basically a full digest of transcripts of Lapsed fan episodes where you can go in and locate, you know, precise time codes, for moments that have meant so much to you, And we've put the call out for members of the Solar System to help, you know, create kind of a corpus of great moments that we can play around with to celebrate ten years of Rocket and rolland here at TLF next year and so many folks emailing us at the Lapsed fan at gmail dot com with rock

solid contributions so far. Again, just looking for voice memos about moments and the history of the show that coincided with something meaningful perhaps in your life or just something that had you laughing out loud and traffic the personal moments, the moments that keep you coming back. You know, we want, we want moments that meant something to you individually, that are unique to you that not everybody in the Solar System might you know, equally praise and celebrate and appreciate.

And the LATS Transcription Service is a great way to hone in on that and be part of you know, kind of just it's important work, but it's it's sort of a labor of love style work. It's sort of like, you know, it's like we all agree that would be great if such a thing exists. Let's bring it into existence to that that's the way to

get started there. And as we push forward here into our Rumble eighty eight coverage and talk about the formation of the Rumble, we are proud and a post TNH world to also continue to extend our hand out to our friends at tight Nutrition continue supporting the show. Excited of course with this partnership. Of course, Titan is one of the most trusted and respected supplement brands in the

industry and you can find their products and supplement stores across the country. They got a wide range of products from amazing proteins and vitamins to pre workouts and superfoods, and all their products are backed by the cGMP, which means for greater manufacturing practices using FDA monitored facilities and third party testing. You heard that right, I take several of their products and super excited to be partnering with

these great folks. So go to the site tight nutrition dot net to check out some of their amazing protein flavors like cinnamon Roll, cherry Bomb, Strawberry, shore Bat, jumping Bomb, Angels. It's all there and here's the key. Use the discount code lapsed lapsed at checkout to get ten percent off your order and free shipping. And that also lets us know, and let's lets them know, of course, that we sent you, which is the whole fucking point. Yes, let them know that. Because they support the

cast, we support them. And when it comes to reaching for a protein, which of course is such a vital part of the workout and health routine of so many folks out there, including in our listenership, you might as well do it in a way that's TLF approved. You might as well do it in a way that that that that creates the shine on the thing that gives you the will to live in the first place. The lapsed fan Wrestling push. Sure, it's tight Nutrition dot net, but the discount code lapsed.

You will not be disappointed. And we think Titan very much for their continued support. It's just it's just too poetic for a supplement brand named Titan to fall into our laps. And it's here the announcement the return of the Hopper. Folks have wanted this so badly, they have salivated at the opportunity. They needed, they needed, they needed. Okay, fine, we will respond. It's been a sacrifice. Okay, seven and a half months

of TNH. Essentially if you include all the feedback shows and that Lost Brook Knows Best episode that we tacked onto the end there, and that's a lot of months that folks were trigger happy, you know, flush wallets. They wanted a chance to come on the show, to sit with your coach chairman, as we have in the past for Hopper shows, to do an interview about why a particular show means something to them, and then have your coach chairs do what they do right, just yes, drop Krau and serve as

the account. Yes. And the opportunity to do that at Long Last is back. There is pent up demand, there is a need for release, and let the release begin. What you need to do is follow us on Twitter or x whatever it is at the lapsed fan follow us on d X tw brother, what slim jims are you? I didn't. We didn't either,

and that's the good news. Monday August seventh, I repeat Monday August seventh, Dial it in on Twitter seven am start time on the East Coast and through the course of the afternoon right up until three pm Eastern we'll be taking your submissions in your bids to be the next Hopper winner. And while we do plan on, you know, keeping it pretty loosing open for the rest of the year. I can't say you're going to get another crack for the next several weeks. So don't um, don't sit back waiting for the

next shot on goal here. This is really the one for the summer here. You want to take advantage of this opportunity. And for those unfamiliar, what we do is we open it up and our Twitter continuously updates what the high bid is. The high bid is submitted by emailing us at the lapsed fan at gmail dot com and please put in the subject line hopper bid and the dollar amount, so it's easy enough for us to keep track of.

And every time somebody ups the next high we tweet it. Sometime upset again, we tweet it, and others, you know, watch it and pretend they don't notice the innovation going on if they're not participating of course on Twitter. And we go and we go and we go until we hit the deadline, and whoever comes in highest at that moment gets the opportunity to pick which show we deep dive next, and to come on the show with the coach heirs for a long and involved discussion as to why you pick that show.

It can be any reason under the sky, and we've gotten some wonderful reasons for shows over the years, and it's put us on some amazing paths that we wouldn't have pushed ourselves into. That's one of my favorite things. It pushes us not only out of the comfort zone, but it has the two things we wouldn't do, Like the Pro Wrestling Exposed special. We'd never would have done AWA Wrestling for a cure. Shit, we did Black Saturday because

of the Hopper. You would think that that's totally a TLFS wheelhouse. Um, you know, with all the court documents and all the deep research involved there and all the uncovering that went on, that's because of you know, Christian Hollister said, you know what, here's here's the cash. This is this is what it means to me for the coach heirs to put this one on the shelf for future generations. Wow. And who knows what what mission

they might embark us on next. And if it's a big enough mission, then ship you know, that might mean the Hoppers closed for that much longer. Because the last thing we want is a big backlog, right yep? That's happened that ain't happening again. We first did this concept years and years ago. It was a Patreon thing, and god damn it took us like a year and a half until we had given everybody we had promised to show a show it was And that's how we knew this is like something that needs

to be carefully controlled. Yeah, you need, I mean build way up past. And I'll be the first one who admit it was me who was really the like I needed to be shown a method that was going because I was like, I cannot and will not go through that again. Yes, that's right, you were, you were I gutive on it, that's right. Ye. Well, it's so important to us to have you know, some degree of control over what you like. It's great coming off a journey

to know that we can we can call the next shot. We can go for a big one like the first rumble on television. Yea. And so that's what we're doing again for you here, um and then as we'll talk about, that'll extend even further into the next episode as well. We like to have that optionality. But August seventh, consider it pretty much the only chance at the Hopper this summer. I think I can safely say that we

always reserve the right to change our minds. But get your wallet's ready, to get your bids ready, have your coffee, and join us on Twitter at the lapsed fan on x at the Lapsed Fan. I've got to say both. I mean, can't believe it. People are they're changing the logo, like on screen, like WWE. You watch a broadcast, aw, it's sys X now instead of Twitter. It's right wow. Oh yeah yeah. People are totally allowing this to be a thing. So it's wrong with

them. Here we are. Um. Yeah. It's like I remember when when Facebook we named met I was like, good luck, everyone's gonna call it Facebook forever. Yeah, thanks, About eight months and people change it. Same thing with w WE. You know when you started us, you just got to start putting shit in people's brains. You know, it takes. Yeah, you just need the right people to say we're over again. Yea, the new name, and pretty soon people forget the old name.

It's pretty remarkable how that happens. There's there's something, there's a truth there about human psychology. You haven't put my finger on, but there's something. And how easy it is to rename something that yep is instructive, I think. But yeah, So that's all. That's all the news and notes we've got for you this go around, because there's a lot to chew on here. I mean, I don't know, can you deal with a March nineteen

eighty eight Royal Rumble in Hartford, Connecticut? No? I mean, let's just look at how busy they were around in January twenty fourth, nineteen eighty eight, the date of this Royal Rumble. Oh my god. They're in Landover, Maryland on the twenty third, and they have a thirty man bunk house Battle Royal on that event that Don Morocco won. Okay, we'll talk

about the difference. But if ever anyone were to deny at the Royal Rumble was a direct hit on Dusty Rhodes is bunk house stampede concept that had been going since nineteen eighty five over at Crockett. The fact that they fucking named the Battle Royals that came before the Royal Rumble concept bunk house battles. Wow, should tell. So that's January twenty third in land Over, Maryland at the Capitol Center. That same night they're at the Harrah Arena in Dayton.

That same night. They're also in Lexington, Kentucky at the Rupper Arena with Hogan and Bigelow over Andrea and Dbasi, And then they're in London and no that they actually canceled a couple of dates, which is interesting when you look at um history of WWF, which is, you know, the best archive I think of chronological WBF results as far as you can think of. Uh, there there were dates in London, Ontario and Cornwall, Ontario that are

canceled or rescheduled around this time. One has to think because they realized we got to recalibrate here for this royal rumbel idea which again fell out of the sky after they already had these dates penciled in. So they're starting to move things around here think is a fair read of the situation. They were in Halifax on the same night as the Rumble in Nova Scotia with Honky Tonk and Savage in the main event and Beefcake and Valentine underneath and Demolition working singles matches.

This the same night as the Rumble. They're in Halifax, the Rumble in Ontario and Hamilton did sixteen thousand, two hundred paid for an announced twenty thousand sellout. They are just totally on fire. I mean, that's why they're doing three major cities on the same night, because they can draw and they can sell it totally absurd. It is unbelievable. I mean, eighty

eight was it was a huge year for them. I remember when we did the Trial of his Life and they had the former CFO of the WWF MO was it, Doug Doug Sages was this, Yeah, And they were getting into all this stuff as far as what the most profitable year ever was because it was obviously deemed relevant for um the trial, and they were talking about eighty eight as like the year eighty as well. But you know, WrestleMania

doing a huge buyer, right. You would think, because you know, WrestleMania three was this record shattering attendance, that that must be the year. But no, eighty eight is when really everything was following. It kind of makes sense, you know, because because when you when you think about it, like eighty seven is gonna draw people in, you know, it's it's kind of like it's kind of like when they talk about how two thousand was

such a big profitable year. Yeah, when you'd think it'd be ninety eight or ninety nine, right, But that's like bringing them in and then kind of in a weird way, the next year is going to be the most profitable, even though you get more attention in the previous year, Right, the next year is kind of a lot of Citi's first chances to buy tickets

to see this exactly. And you know, in a lot of ways, it was eighty four with with Hogan and then um MTV UM and that had that bleeded over in eighty five, but there was a whole other level reached in eighty seven. Because now you're two years in a Saturday Nights made event. They've done these huge rating shows on NBC four times a year, and

that you know again four times a year. That's it, folks. There's like eight of these by the time we hit a you know, nineteen eighty seven, mid eighty seven, so it's you know, the LJN's are profligate. Now the Rock and Wrestling cartoon is out and it's been distributed, is in people's minds. There's just so many seeds that have been planted by this point that they just they can print money, they can set up a fucking ring somewhere and people will come the next night. This is why this show

is such an afterthought in some ways. The next night they were in the Garden in New York City. Oh my god, sell out nineteen thousand and seventy. Wow. You imagine going from this Royal Rumble the next night you're in the garden. Of course, you're not going to think of the Rumble is some special night in your in your life or your career, especially when they've done something they already done, one that you kind of vaguely heard about.

In Saint Louis. There've been a ton of Battle Royals. Sometimes you call them bunk house battles. There there's always Battle Royals on house shows. You know what the difference does it make if you call it a Royal Rumble or not, Because when you go back and you you know, listen interviews with wrestlers who are participating in this first Rumble in eighty eight, this first

televised Rumble, they don't really remember the match at all. It's almost like they've you know, they've been forced to remember that night because it's taken on a lore. But at the time the next night you were in the world's most famous arena, sold out house. That's what you're going to remember. That's the big payoff. Don't care about this one, no, No, it's just it was a house show in Hamilton that happened to be on USA. So there was a bit more you know, logistics to worry about in

terms of a live television hitting time cues and stuff and some angles. But you don't remember this any differently. It wasn't a big payoff. It's just it's it's amazing to think about how differently the wrestler's mentality worked back then, because, like I said, it was still like ninety percent of live arena how show business. It was still about doing stuff that could sell out arenas as opposed to draw huge television ratings and then draw huge rights fees from the

television networks. They were getting paid, I'm sure some nominal amount from a USA network. They were still some of the highest rated stuff on all of cable at the time, but that never really translated to dollars and cents in the eighties. You know, it wasn't really something that you could draw a direct line to. Okay, because we do these huge ratings, they pay US hundreds of millions of dollars a year just to be able to broadcast our shows. No, sir, it was still very much. We got to

use that exposure to sell tickets here and sell tickets there. It's all about the syndication. It was all about taping shows and shooting local interviews that would sell out arenas. And when that's the mentality of the wrestlers, they are not going to remember, you know, one show in the middle of a six city, six day run as well as you would think when history reflects

on you know, the history of the Royal Rumble. And then they were in Toledo also in the twenty fifth the next day, so they're in the garden and Toledo, Ohio. That's with a hard foundation on top jeeze. And they were in Potsdown, Pennsylvania at a high school with hercules and cocoa ware. And then the next day they're at Hershief for a taping of Marathon taping of Superstars and Challenge in primetime. So, I mean, two days after the Rumble, these guys are taping you know, a month of television.

I kind of remember this stuff. That's unbelievable. Yeah, yeah, it's a totally different business now in that way, because you just don't have that kind of just like total onslaught of stuff. And you got to remember that it's not just that these shows are back to back, they're far away geographically. Now, they booked the show as much more, you know, on a loop, right, it's a lot more logistically sensible, right,

you're you're a general region. But back then they were just like grabbing anything they could on any arena in any major city they could, because they were just sort of still creating the idea of what it was to be a national wrestling company from a logistics and travel standpoint, and there wasn't a whole lot of appreciation for the you know, potential economic benefits of keeping everything in a tight geographical region. You just booked, You just booked buildings as you could,

and you sent the talent there. You got them there one way or the other. So these guys are also flying an incredible amount between these shots day after day after day. They don't remember any of it by the time they're done, and they're probably all i mean, all the drugs they did to get through it. Listen, this is no different than any other job. Yeah, okay, events, what people can commute on a day to

day basis to commute, people fly for their for their work. You know, I don't understand, you know, if I believe that it is the responsibility of the talent and of the of the of the private contractors that we hire. You know, they sign up for this. They need to know that this is the job and they're doing the job. Are they ever? And again I don't, you know, there is there there's there's no law that says I can't make these guys travel as much as I want to.

I mean, they want to get still when Vince's in his fantasy world where that he can work, run the guys this hard and they're not going to get injured at an increasingly fast clip and fun. They didn't. They didn't. They didn't get injured, blow up all of his plans in regular time. They didn't get injured. So I don't. Again, I don't see what the problem is exactly. An eighty five Crockett comes up with the bunk house standard. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, pal. And

if it is broke, I ain't broke. Yeah, And if it is broke, it ain't broke. That's right, pretty simple. I'll decide if it's broke, make the town. I don't want to hear about your torn acl make the town. Wording bitch, find ways to make the town, or don't get paid and go home. And I have no problem. If you can't make the town, I'll find somebody else who's already at That's exactly correct, and I'll give them your money and more. It's the opportunity of

a lifetime pal. We've never been so busy, there's never been so much demand for our product in your home. We are. We are stub Toe, we are creating entertainment. We are You are the wwee's super entertainers. That's what you do. You entertain superbly, right, Okay, I couldn't put it better myself. So you act. Stampe created by Dusty working for Croc at eighty five. It's a Battle Royal where wrestlers dress up like cowboys

and jeans and they bring weapons. It's basically like lethal lockdown. When he got the Book of ta years later, sucks. I know, why are the dressing cowboys? What's what's the deal with that? It's just, you know, Dusty, he just he thinks people care about like country western boor. He thinks it means he thinks people associate something with a bunk house, as opposed to say, what the fuck is a bunkhouse? You don't even know what a bunk house is? I mean you remember that commercial? Um,

what was it? New York City? Oh? Yeah, what was that for? What that was for? U? Some kind of salsa? God? I can't believe I forgot about this already. Then I'll tell you just how impactful it was New York Pace? Is it? I forget what it? Um? Pace Pacante? Oh? I didn't know it was Pace Pacante. I thought it was another brand anyway. The idea like those guys that say New York City, that's who Dusty thinks, we like, we care about that mythology, and we don't. We don't care about it.

But that's that's his thing. And and so you know, if we're going to go right for the juggular of Jim Crockett Promotions as the last company with the gaul to pretend that they can offer competition to the World Wrestling Federation and it's increasing hegemony as they continue to get their pick of the letter of all the top stars of every territory across the country. Um, then they're going to have to pay, and they're going to have to you know, basically

be matched. It's no different than them hiring away, Cody wrote to Hurt a w or hiring away aj and Shinsky Nakamura to hurt New Japan. What truly animates Vince is grabbing talent that not only gives him talent, it also hurts the other guy. You know, and I have no issue. I think I'd be that very clear when it comes to breaking promises. I don't believe in promise. That's right. I believe in the promises you make to me. I but listen, I believe the only promises that I believe in

are the ones that I choose to believe in. Its correct, any promise that comes out of my mouth, it's not a promise, right. In fact, you're better off thinking the opposite. It ceases to be a promise the moment it escapes my lips. Is a matter of fact, it ceases being a promise the moment you sign your name on the dotted line. Then all of a sudden, it's fair game for me to take my pants down

yep, and to drop a deuce on your face? Do you realize I could do that to everyone who works for me and they wouldn't do a single thing about it. You know, you could. You can talk about any kind of corporate abuse or any kind of office abuse. Sure, but you know what, no one's going to do that. No one's going to do that because some tried, some tried to step to the man a couple last year, exactly what tried, and you know what happened? Nothing, No,

what happened. He put more money in his pocket, billions and billions of dollars selling the company than you ever could have imagined. And he did it all while saying, so what, So what? You know there's fourteen million paid and hush money? So what? And there are all these incredible accusations. Let me say this, there's only that much paid and hush money that you know about. Yeah, so what about? Now? What are you gonna do? No one says shit about it. I mean, you

cannot remove me from my from my job posts, exactly correct. You can't take my company away from me, you stupid bitch. Right. I will do what I want, that's exactly correct, to whom I want to do that's even more correct, and you will not only do nothing about it, you will enjoy it. One of my shit drops unto your face. You will say, thank you, mister McMahon. Can I have another? That's exactly Can we have another bunk house battle? Royal? Yes, they say,

how did it look? How did it feel? Well? You know, cheez. Even less is known about these bunk house brawls that they would do around the loop to sort of you know, as far as I can tell, it's like the first draft of let's make fun of Dusty by bringing him in polka dots. Let's just make fun of his concepts before the first Royal rumble, right, yes? And after and after yes, sometimes it would be, you know, after this one, sometimes be a royal rumble.

Sometimes it would be a bunk house brawl. And the best I think we're going to be able to do in getting a window into what WWF's version of the bunkhouse Stampede looked like the bunk house Brawl is in the pages of WWF magazine. This is from Ugal nineteen eighty eight, that month's Battle of the Titans. Boss as I've just sent to you, and I would appreciate you conveying along with the solar systems. Here's Keith Elliott Greenberg's coverage Bam Bam

wins bunk house Brawl. What the fuck doesn't come in yet? Deal with the fact that this exists, and we'll get it. We'll get it over to you that you should have it Battle of the Titans, and yes, Battle of Titans is crucial. Why don't I have it yet? Um? What? What? What I have in your email? Oh? In my email? Pardon me? Yeah, right, I was looking in the chat there here. It's just looked out first, you know, before you leave the words, tell us what you see, because there's photographs of this thing.

I see number one, I see Battle of the Titans, and that just makes me happy. Holy shit, holy shit, you get I guess there are there are members of the New York Rangers. I guess they're in the Battle Royal New York Islanders, New York Islanders. Sorry, yeah, yeah, So they're just in there with hockey helmets on, and then someone's got a fish net. They're clearly to me, a player from the Jets is in there making fun of the idea that you know, a bunk house

brawl is bring any weapons bring any gear? Is that Lammy Poffo? Well where next? Right in front of Jyd there, I believe it is. I don't know what he's wearing, though he appears to be wearing a super Shredder costume. Well that I think he's wearing armor. I think he's wearing a night and I think he's a Knight in shining armor. You know, they're just having a fucking great time with this idea of like come ready for battle in the bunk House Bam Bam wins bunk House Brawl. Bigelow battles his

way to victory by Keith Elliott Greenberg. Bam Bam. Bigelow arched his eyebrows, stared down to the ground, clenched his fists, and hopped from foot to foot. They pound human fireball grimmaceda waiting for the waiting for the world Losing Entertainments. Second Annual bunk House Brawl to begin, second annual an annual? So this is eighty seven it started? Huh wow? I wonder if Greenberg is conflating it with the rumble from eighty seven, But would it be

annual? I mean this happened when did this happen? In eighty eight. Well, this is in the April eighty eighth edition, but I'm not sure you never know it. This could have happened in eighty seven, you know, like there was a battle one of my in the March. In the March nineteen ninety two W magazine, they the Battle of the Titans was from Tuesday in Texas, three months prior acazing, no clue. Let's not forget. This is when they brought Bigelow in with big plans in eighty seven.

Remember him and Survivor series that year. Yeah, he was the last man before andre Andre killed him. And it's timely because Dark Side of the Ring just came out with their Bam Bam episode, so we've got the full you know, tragedy of his story. All right. I remember I remember that call. That was a two thousand and seven one, right, wasn't that when he passed? Yeah? Sounds about right. I feel like I remember him being part of that. It was like every week you were calling me

with somebody. Every week I was getting the call at that was intense there for a while. That was a rough year. Um. So Bam Bam came in in eighty seven. He had you know, been a sensation in

the wrestling magazines. He had his first match at Studio fifty four with Paul Hayman promoting it in New York City after training at the Monster Factory with Larry Sharp out of New Jersey and just being able to do just the videotapes of him the things he could do for his size from an acrobatic standpoint, which were just out of this world. Oh yeah, ton of buzz about the guy. They brought him in after just a couple of matches to WWF and

had big plans. He was, you know, rubbing shoulders with Hulk Cokean. He was always very complimentary of Hulk and didn't really felt like Hulk was ever trying to you know, undercut him. But he ran and Andre the giant who you know, is a bitch when it comes to other people being presented as the next big guy in WWF, and he's going to find a reason to hate them. He's going to find a reason to say that they're not grateful for the opportunity exactly. B If Andre hated if Andre loved you,

he was the best. Andre hated. Andrea only hated you if you felt like you were going to get paid to be the big guy in roster instead of him? And what what is it? What is it? Bell about it? Very please? Ansk questions? And I've got I've got things to do, all right, I'm very busy. I've got I've got you know, I've got lots of can't you see paperwork? There's there's papers and in front of me in my hands, I've got my glasses down at the end of my nose. You know very well that I'm very busy. Apologize

mis bar however, or won't the tolo something? You're both bigger? Which one is that? Who? Patterson? Who's bam bam bigel he's got the got the fire on his head? What who? Who? What? Got a touchdows on the side and give it the ball the bad guy from Jersey to get the bald guy Bundy, you know to bam bam. Not Terry Gordy. I didn't even know what that is. What's a Terry Gordy dude? I'm right here, brother, what I'm here? Terry Terry Terry No

not you damn it. Get back in the closet please, what Terry Gordy? Brother? I don't do nobody's taking Terry brother I'm whole COVID. Terry, dude, Terry, please just get them, get out, get out. I'd rather take Terry Garvin at this point. Seriously, Jesus Christ Patterson, you're gonna teach me how to speak with an echo? You do it very well? Now, Um? All right, So there's a bolt? Are you talking about some andre? Are you talking about some bald man that

has things drawn his skull? Is that? What is that? I guess that's who Bam Bam Bigelow is? Yes? Are you what? What do you want to do about? What is it about Bam bam that that has you? So whatever? Mister he does me an oil chuck and he did it? You know what? Now he divis? Oh? But then I first of all, and the fact that you just oil check to yourself is very very very disturbing to me. Uh. Second of all, Uh, why patter Patterson? What what does you know? Is there any reason why

we should keep man Bam Bigelow? Does he do anything interesting? Does cart wheels? Does cart wheels? Does he jump off the top rope at all? Yes? He does? What does he do? A headbut a Headbut can you do a head but off the top rope. Andre, No, I come, mister macmahn. Maybe you didn't hear me correctly. Can you do a headbut off the top rope? No, mis come and climb. I come over, climb top rope Andre. If you if I'm to you know, acknowledge and to fulfill your request, you are going to need to

add multiple top rope flying maneuvers to your repertoire. And I want to him and I'm going to have to approve all of them. I wonder he hated Bam bam. So get going, Bell, start training, talk to Coco, talk to anybody who gets on the top rope, all right, and I'll take care of that fucking idiot from New Jersey. I hate New Jersey. I hate people from New Jersey. Yes, I'm gonna kill him.

And right Bam Bam comes in. He's doing all of these high impact dives at his size, and come early eighty eight, he's got two bad knees already and he needs surgery. Wow. So they had big plans for him. I mean, he was going to probably be like one b under home it we'll talk about it. It was kind of like the spot they originally had in mind for Jim Duggan after they signed him away from Mid South, but then he had the problem with Iron Cheek and the arrest which you will

also talk about. This comes before Douggan has chosen to win the first Royal Rumble. But Duggan was sort of like going to be you know, the baby face that headlines the show's Hogan couldn't but it's kind of like associated with Hogan. And then of course clearly right you watch the Driver series, you can tell that's exactly what they want for Bam Bam. He puts his arm around Hogan like a roquette and does a double big boot boss for Gotsy Patterson. Can we who can we? Who can we use to take out Bam

BAM's knees? There's only one and it's Andre and it pisses Vince off. According to the Dark Side documentary and other things, Bam Bam said in interviews that Bigelow needs time off to rest his knees, that he can't just keep grinding through these injuries and find a way to work around him, despite you

know, Vince's enthusiasm for pushing Big a little fast and hearts. Wow, what are the first examples of Vince you know, just souring on something that he gets so excited about because it doesn't play out to his liking immediately from the from from the jump. What do you mean you can't? What do you mean hurt your knees? What did you do? Huh? I don't know, Vince. I was kind of just being a three hundred and seventy five pound guy that's jumping off the top rope. It's gonna happen. It's

inevitable, you know the style. No no, no, no, no no. I can't work all these towns and be bam bam bigelow every night. We'll tell you what. I'll tell you what, Pal, You're not going to work these towns. Yeah, exactly, all right, You're fucking done, all right, because you know what, I can't have fat asses like you who jump off the fucking top rope and can't handle it. Right, You get on my radar because you can do things big men supposedly never

could do, and within a year you're damaged. Goods to me, within a year, you can't do the only thing I ever even heard of you for you're doing shit that no other fat bitch is ever done. I think him here, I'm I have a sold a guy that could do shit that no other fat fuck could do. And you know what, now you tell me you can't do it. So who who's been screwedy? Are you fucking bitch? By June he's getting pinned cleaned by Andre in the garden. By

December, what's he doing? He's a Starcade. He wrestling Berry Windham at Starcade. Yeah, but here this U bunk House Brawl. This is before things had soured on the first run of the Bammers in the e. Please continue from magazines. Everyone just better stay out of my way, he warned. Bigelow's weapons this night would be his bulk, his surprising speed, and his might. Others who are in themselves with only their natural skills and physiques.

Where the mountainous one man gang and young, sleek footed Sam Houston. What made the arsenals of these men curious is the character of the Bunkhouse Brawl, the only w t B match where the use of foreign objects is not only condoned but encouraged. No way, this isn't a knock on Dusties contin totally. The thirty odd wrestlers who competed in this helter skelter variation of a battle Royal were allowed to wear anything and bring whatever they wanted into the ring.

The get ups were frighteningly creative. Wrestling Wrestling great Ernie bigcat Lad who played football with the San Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers and Kansas City Chiefs, or a complete football uniform into combat, as did the Rock Don Morocco, Canadian Dino Bravo and Jacques and Raymond Rougeau sported hockey gear including sticks hercules, and the Junkyard Dog brought chains I didn't think he was in the company at

this time. The British Bulldogs took in a long handed dog catcher's net, Australian outback jack, a boomerang ska, a bone outlaw ron bass, a whip, and the Natural butcherad a weightlifters belt. Demolition came in leather and spikes and leaping Lanny Poffo a suit of armor. Oregonians Ken Petera and Billy Jack Hayes terrified grapplers and fans alike when they entered the ring wielding timber slicing

chainsaws. Fortunately for the other Titans, the duo placed the cutters on the timekeeper's table before the opening bell sounded, A disoriented George the animal Steel wandered the arena floor while those in the ring clustered together, throwing punches, kicks, and each other. Popo took off the armored helmet to bash one man Gang, but the four hundred and fifty pound monster from the backstreets of Chicago did not feel the thing. He all but ignored leapin Lanny and formed a

quick partnership with Bass to hammer on Bigelow. Bigelow fought gamely back against his two opponents. As Popo searched for someone else to clauber, he settled for out back Jack, who countered with a boomerang blow. You imagine this in nineteen eighty seven in WWF. This kind of fucking hijinks so bizarre, it's like the hardcore division before. Right on the opposite side of the ring, Hercules and Bolshevik Boris Zukov forged a hasty alliance. They first wrestled the British

Bulldogs net away and used the handle to choke Hanes against the ropes. Morocco made the save, charging to the trouble spot and breaking up the mugging by smacking the assailants with hercules chain. Somehow the chain was transferred to the Ultimate Warrior, who wasted no time in swinging it against the sharp studs worn by acts of demolition. Ultimate Warrior then took a swipe at Lad, protected by his football equipment. It is not certain if the big cat even knew that

he was hit. Lad rambled across the ring and shoulder blocked one man. Gang Gang reached nonchalantly pushing Lad away and moving on to flail others. George's animal. Steele was still confused on the arena floor. Seeing the men in the ring bashing their neighbors, Steele decided to go after the individual closest to him. Slick back, hunched and arms flapping steel chase the doctor of style who show who shoved a side ring a ringside referees, judges and photographers to

escape the wild man. The word in The Observer at the time was that George Steele wasn't about to take that over the top rope to the floor bump necessitated by the Battle Royals, so he'd come out and just hang around ringside and do whatever. How would you get eliminated? How do you get eliminated? Then it was almost like he was never in the match. He would

just come down in the middle of these matches. I guess these things at ringside now never renowned for a long attention span, Steel tired of the capt' and mouse contest and looked for another diversion. A table struck his interest. The animal grabbed it and used it is inhuman strength to hoist it over the ropes. Hercules was the first to be victimized by the new weapon dynamite. Kid turned the table up on the mat, and the Ultimate Warrior ran Herk's

head into the top. Hercules, no strangers to chains, chairs and other injurious injurious objects, held his aching skull and reeled, but continued fighting. In a move reminiscent of the story of David and Goliath, two hundred and twenty seven pound Sam Houston attempted to square off against one man Gang. Houston's method was innovative. He snuck up on Gang from behind Clauton brother, climbed the big man's back, sat on his shoulders, and punched down on the

gargantuan's tattooed head. Gang lumbered to the ropes, lifted Houston by the thighs and hurled him onto the arena floor, where Popo and Outback Jack had recently been deposited at Morocco and the New York kids. What a goofball? What the fuck is going on? I don't even know what a fucking moron? What are the screaming Norman smiling there? That's it. The fit the picture of the magazine. He looks like everybody's doing a Dubie stub hardcore man right

exactly. The eliminations continued in rapid succession. Steele finally entered the ring, only to be thrown out by Read. The Animal compensated for his loss by again attacking Natural's manager Slick before returning to the dressing room. The Bolsheviks ritted the bout of Jacques Rougeou and Ken PETERA. Ultimate Warrior broke up the Soviet force by discarding Nikolai Volkoff Taxa. Jim Duggan managed to pick up one man Gang and cast him toward the first row. Okay Reid crept behind Duggan and

disposed of him. Lad rushed pushed out Read, Junkyard Dog pushed out Lad. Ultimate Warrior and Hercules were removed and continued their slug fest at ringside. The Bunkhouse Brawl finally evaporated to four survivors, Bam Bam, Bigelow, the Rock, Don Morocco. If you smell what Don Morocco was cooking wrestlers to be Ax and Smash of Demolition. Morocco and Bigelow realized they were in against an established combo adept at brutal teamwork. The only way to beat Ax and

Smash, their foes quickly concluded was by using divide and conquer tactics. Rock removed his football helmet and wrapped Smash with it repeatedly. Bam Bam floored and choked Axe in another part of the ring, placing his helmet back on his head. Morocco tried a flying tackle pretty enough to gain him an NFL roster spot. Okay, cool, There was also there was only one problem. It's fake. Wrestling is fake, and we'll be ahead of that in the

end. Thank you for reading Smash sidestep the maneuver, and with the help of Sicca, who pulled down the top rope from outside the ring, Morocco was done for Demolition then concentrated their attack on one large target. Bigelow, Axe and Smash pummeled Bigelow and whipped him into the ropes. Bigelow went over, but held onto the top strand, and exhibiting astounding agility, boosted himself back into the ring. That went to work. A bewildered Smash was punched

to the arena floor. In a moment later, Axe was ejected by an authoritative dropkick from behind. Man Bigelow had cautioned the other wrestlers to keep out of his path. When the Bunkhouse Brawl ended, there was no one left in it. Bigelow had plowed his way to a decisive and unforgettable victory. Truly amazing, truly amazing. That's wild. So you know, if you see it this way, you almost start to see. Of course, Vince

didn't take the Royal Rumble concept seriously. He was in the mode of mocking the very idea of a specialty battle royal because that's a dusty thing and a Crockett thing, and we must make fun of them, we must mock. Truly wild. So the Bunkhouse Brawl in many ways preceded the Royal Rumble and the WWF. And that's kind of what it look and felt like. Come one, Come all dressed in as much goofy clothing as you possibly could imagine man to be a fly on the wall for those I know got to be

one of those on tables have Morocco dress like a fucking idiot. Right. So the Bunkhouse stampede again as we as we touched on already was you could say this second but in a lot of ways, the first attempt by Jim Crockett Promotions to do pay per view as we know it, not closed circuit starcade around the country and arenas on big movie screens. We're talking about pay

per view as WWF had had known yet and perfected it. And they tried to do it at Starcade eighty seven, and they you know, had clearance in several major cities across the country, but not nearly as many as they would have liked when Vince pulled the powerplay, of course, So this January twenty four, eighty eight is really, you know, Crockett's attempt without thinking there was a chance that WWF would counter them on pay per view and force

cable companies to pick and choose here and uh sure, well we won't do that, but we'll go up live for a free special. And you better believe, just as prominent in the hype for this show on WWF Television before it took place, it is not the idea, serilely that there's going to be this unique novel battle royal concept on the show, but that it's free. They hit free, and they hit free. And why do they hit free because they know on that same night the other guys are asking you to

pay pay, pay, pay, pay free, free free. It was so cutthroat, man, it was so much worse than it is today. I mean, they went right for your date and they just tried to, you know, wave as many objects over here as they possibly could to get you to not look at the other guys, even though they had they were dying. I would love to to kind of have witnessed some of this, Oh to live through right, to have been a fan, I'm mature fan.

In the eighties, what a ride like if you live down in Atlanta and you got like every they had, like the Joe Petticino Hour where they showed like highlights from all over the country and just basically every single promotion going on territorially had some way in if you had you know, the full cable package and everything. You could watch it all forget about it, man, so exciting because you had Vince Plucky is pick of the litter. That's the

thing. It's so different today, is right. These guys aren't, with few exceptions, anywhere near the level of stars when WWF comes knocking now as they were back then, and it's like every single top guy in the in the territory you grew up watching is now in the WWF, and it's just it's just wonder it's wonderfully fascinating to watch play out. Not great for everybody in the business, but just of course what a time to be alive.

Now, what's the rumble about this eighty eight rumble? It's really about the February fifth main event NBC special, isn't It's about the whole cocon under the giant contract signing for that big show, which is of course, in a lot of ways, you could say it's the first primetime network special that wrestling did since the fifties, because the Saturday eight made events were of course at

eleven thirty at night on these coasts and replacing Saturday Night Live. This was you know this, It took me forever to kind of figure this out because I had no idea, Like, you know, I didn't really realize that that Saturday Night's main event. We're all taped, and I remember kind of figuring out, like, no, the main event is a different thing. It's like, yes, like w puts it underneath the Saturdaynight main event banner and it has a similar type of graphics, right, it like it's kind

of a spinoff of it. But no, it's prime time. It's network television. It's on not on Saturday. Yeah, it's crazy, it's huge, it's um it's really another one of those examples of the hotness of WrestleMania three paying off like a full year later, and that NBCY was compelled to put this on live in prime time like this, and with that kind of a huge opportunity in front of them, you can start to see you again, a whole other reason why the very first televised Royal Rebel didn't seem like

a big deal. They're a week away from the real deal, the real opportunity, and we've done this main event in the archives. Oh yeah, we've talked about the rating that show did. It'll never ever get to that point again unless they somehow put a huge WrestleMania on network television for free in some year in the future. I don't think it still will never be that number. Yeah, that percentage of the people who were watching television to be

tuned into a WWF show. It's just it's just possible, wasn't It wasn't like thirty three million people or something somewhere around there. Yeah, I get the exact number, but you'll send the archives that I'll never I mean, you can't get people to watch that except for like the Super Bowl, right, And that's a time, you know, when there were just so many more households with televisions, but you had Andre and Hogan wrestling each other on

free network primetime television. And that's whether of course they did the twin Hebner angle, that brilliant angle, and it was just and that incredible shot of Teddy Bias with the championship belt. Oh, so many people care, like people in your life, normal people, people to the grocery store. They

cared enough to watch this from from how Hogan you watch that? This This is perfect into this episode because you got to hear it just like you're saying, we rest all kinds of news people watching this for the first did you see that the referee he get that plastic surgery done? That's correct, you see that unbelievable Hogan said was plastic surgery? What do people don't you know what people will do these days alone and everything. But that's that's too far,

you know. You know, look, I get it, I get it. I get the idea that that that, But come on, you're telling me that that that that the guy went so far as as as as to just completely you know, we do his face with plastic surgery. I mean, what what's going on here? What's next? Me? What? What? What's next? You? You know, parking tickets for the Easter Bunny? You know, what are you talking about? And one of the things Bruce Pritchard makes very clear and talking about the show is the Ilvingvins cared

about with the Hogan Andre angle. Of course, in fact, the first draft of this Live USA special, before they put the Rumble on, there was just matches and the Hogan Andre contract signing, you know. And the thing is, I just don't understand. If there's one thing you know that I really have an issue with on this show is the formatting of it.

Yeah, I just don't understand. Now, I understand, I do remember that this is the day, this is the time period of you put on your your biggest thing close to the beginning, but they didn't even do that with the Hogan Andre thing. And it's like, I just I just don't understand why why either Hogan Andre or the Royal Rumble didn't close the show well, and why we have ever Saw loved the Rumble and wanted that to be

first. That's his version of Saturday Night Live has its best sketch at the beginning, or you know, Jay Leno has his best guest on first, because ever Saw loved the Rumble concept more than he loved the contract signing angle that was vix. So yeah, that's what you have here. That's why the Rumble comes on so early. He's just like, yeah, okay, all right, And you wonder why Ebersol and it's kind of weird. I'm so glad that that Conrad did an episode about this show with Bruce Pritchard,

because it never made sense to me. I mean, Dick Ebersol had no he did not work at USA network. NBC had nothing to do with the

USA Network at the time. It was just a Stanley cable station. But apparently there was like this sort of like loose alliance between Vince and Dick Ebersol, who had a third party production company that he ran in addition to working for NBC in a production capacity and being just you know, a total legend in terms of sports television programming and production over there, where he basically you know, hung out with Vince and wanted to be involved and putting WWF shows

together at this point in time, even if they weren't on a network that he was contracted to or working for. Dick, I just want to run something by you. Yeah, what what's um? What's going on? I just well, you know, I I admire you. You're you're a very you know you you understand they entered him business what I'm going for? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, of course, of course, of course, yeah,

I get it. I totally get it. And so what I what I want to do is is I just I know that I am it would it would I would be greatly appreciative if there was any way that that we could we could do business. Just I would love to have your your your ideas outside of just the NBC shows. Is this is this something that you you'd be you'd be interested in. Well, yeah, you know, I always happy to help a friend. I just want to tell you, I'm always happy to help a friend, and I consider you to be a friend.

Oh my god, that's so great, Thank you so much. But listen, listen. I'm under contract with NBC. You know, I've got to deal with them, and uh, it's not necessarily you know, iron clad per se. But you know I don't I don't necessarily want to go behind their backs and do something like this. I just you know, what if I got an idea. I got an idea. All right, I'm listening. What if I what if I opened a company for you? What if I set up and I paid for a production company just made it for

you and you could produce it from there. We Hey, you know that's not that's something interesting. I will say. There's definitely an interesting proposition, you know. I I don't you know, but just having a business isn't enough, you know. I mean, you gotta have you gotta have an office, You're gotta have people who work. I'll pay for it all. I'll pay all their salaries. So just I will be you're your financier. But please, I just I just need you to dick to do this.

Please make it seem like I know how to please live television. Make it seem like I understand live television. Well you know, Vince, like I love you like a brother. Ah, I do. I love you. I love you despite the noises you make sometimes. I mean, you do make some some awkward noises. But but but it's just this I understand. Listen, I don't want to dick your can you your your cozy Connecticut suburban home is everything I ever hoped for. I want Connecticut. I want your

fucking ranch of state bullshit like house. I want. I want your life. Well, uh, excuse me. I want. I want my grass to be green. I want one hundred degrees out ten fifteen days in a row. I want my grass to be green. I want to be but I also want to get your grass that's greener. I want all the grass. I want my daughters to ride horses. I want I want my I want my Yes, I want horses to be to be ridden in my in my yard. Are we still talking about a production company? M Well,

maybe what do we What do you think we're talking about? Well, listen, I'll tell you what. All right, if you're willing to listen, I'm grateful. I again, I don't want to. I don't want to push you out, all right, But if you're willing to to um you know, to to set up the company, to pay for the employees and the company. Uh. Look, I can help you out with a two million dollar bonus. Okay, okay, I'll I'll write you a personal check

two million dollars to Dick eversaw here. Take about tell you tell you sick seven degrees see you Tuesday, and so you get it. Listen the temperature in the room, all right, the on the office, it's going to be the same day in, day out. Doesn't go up, doesn't go down. I look, I'm Dick Ebersol. I need to wear a sweater with a collar underneath, no matter what the season. Look. I want

exact exactly. I want to be able to be comfortable enough. I don't have to wear a jacket, but I want it to be cold enough where I'm not sweating if I'm wearing a sweater in my cashmere, in my cashmere, all right. I want my hair to be exactly the way that it is when I came into the office as I leave the office. Well, you know, the man knows what he wants in exchange for service, that's

for sure. So yeah, the first reports in the Observer about this upcoming live special does not mention a thirty man rumbla, just mentions the Hogan Andre angle and a bench press that they're gonna do with the No Bravo. Now here's another shot at Crockett, because guess what they had in the pipeline. What the Road Warriors doing a bench press challenging Wow, It's played out in the days following the Bunkhouse Stampede pay per view, where um, I think

it was the Russians like disrupted it. We've talked about this before and like the thing falls on Hawk's neck and yeah, oh Jesus so a total So right, so they say, oh, all right, well, guess what else we can do to fun with them, not only our version of the Bunkhouse Stampede, but we can also but the strongest guy in the company, Dino Bravo, who can legit bench press you know, more weight than anybody on Crockett's roster, and make sure that he sets a record that will make

them look ridiculous for trying to break as well. I mean, that's that's how they work. That's the mentality back then. Let's fun with them at any possible opportunity. And so that's the way it played out. Now we need to acquaint ourselves. This is the lapsed fan. We can't forget this. We need to quaint ourselves with the look and feel of the time,

do we not? Of course, isn't it about remembering the texture of what it was like to watch television at a time time when yes, you know, all television asked of you was appointment viewing, attention and a good snat. What was USA Network like in nineteen eighty eight? What did it taste like? How did it make you feel? You tell me, I wasn't watching at the time. In a minute, what's the most embarrassing thing that's

ever happened to you? This USA Network program is viewed by the wonderful world of Kenner Oh, robo Cop, part man, part robot, all cop, the ultimate in law enforcement RoboCop, and the Ultra Police. The only cop with rabid repeat cap firing. He's unstoppable, battling the worst criminals, head Hunter and Nitrobe. The Ultra Police protected by robo Armor bring RoboCop even more firepower in the fight for justice. Nothing can stop RoboCop. RoboCop and

the Oprah Police Eat sold separately with Robocaps. You are watching USA Kable's Entertainment Network. Well they have that writing. Yeah, I can't Cable's Entertainment Network. I want to feel those feelings so badly, but then I can't go on after I feel them, I know, because it's just they're so much less warmth in entertainment. Now there's nobody trying to like, come on in, you know what I mean. No, yeah, no, no, no, no, they don't want you to know. They don't want you

to come in like they want you to. They want you to watch your phone while you're commuting on the subway. Fucking hell, you know it's all over. They don't want you. They don't need you to because that's the thing. They don't need you to come home to watch. I could feel my eyes getting heavy to stay up for prime Time. I meant that USA Network voice. I mean, it's there. I reach for it. I reach for it, but it's it's thirty miles further away than I think.

Then the eye then it appears to the naked eye that. How about how about those rup toys one one? Remember the smell of the whatever the Salver capital Yeah, yeah, when you do fucking heavenly. And of course the sort of ragtag nature of putting this event together meant that, you know, the USA Network certainly didn't have a long lead time to plan on this live television special and accounting for the time slot, so they had to do some

preemptions. And if you were watching USA Network is just a you know, Joe six pack in nineteen eighty eight and the Rumble was coming up, this may have been part of the campaign USA put together that you would have heard to make sure that you knew that on this particular Sunday evening, um, you're normally scheduled USA programming might not be available. Dude, who are special coverage have royal Rumble? Our program schedule has been changed. Please check your

local listings for details. So harmless, I'll be glad to due to our coverage give it to me coverage. The coverage that soundly the guy who did all the all the voice over work and the mid mid slate nineties. Yeah, yeah, recap videos and stuff that sounds like the guy who does if life were fair, Oh my god, my mom would go to the bathroom on a regular basis, but she doesn't, and so the surgery is scheduled

for frere um. Now. I don't know exactly when it was decided that the Royal Rumble was going to happen on USA Network, but the closest hint I think we can get is when they started mentioning it on the weekly Primetime wrestling show, which of course was hosted in studio by Guerrilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan as they perfected their legendary stick together just doing you know, pitches to matches from you know, pre tape matches from around the country. That was

the format, and they started talking about the Royal Rumble. I believe it was December fourteenth or whatever. The second week of December was wow, nineteen eighty seven, so there's like less than a month to get ready for this. Pritchard remembers tickets only being on sale for about a month beforehand for you know, something that was being promoted as the Royal Rumble and so let's let's acquaint ourselves. I was fascinated to hear them describe, yes, the Royal

Rumble to the USA Network viewer. Before they had any idea really what it was going to be and what it was going to look like, they were just dealing with, you know, text descriptions of the match and explanations of what the match might be like. I love text and it evolves quite a bit over the Hull Day season of nineteen eighty seven into the Rumble in January twenty fourth of eighty eight, describing what this match is going to be.

Let let's hear from a grill and Bobby here. They am not coming up right here in, folks. In just a moment, We're going to be giving you some interesting news on something that's happening right here on the USA Network in a very near future. A free attraction for you, folks. That's right free. Am I involved? Aren't you involved in everything that's free? No? Never for anything in your life. We'll be back told me something

not to do anything free ever. Well, folks, as we promise you earlier on a special event coming up right here on the USA Network, The Royal Rumball Sunday, January twenty four, featuring the King. No it's not featuring the King, well, it's the Royal rum well, that's just a name they gave to This event has nothing to do with the King should It's a special tribute to the fans in the World Wrestling Federation, and you folks right here on the USA Network are going to get to see it in the

privacy of your own living rooms for apps lutely nothing. It's got free attraction put on by the World Wrestling Federation featuring all the stars of the Royal Wrestling Federation. It's all coming your way Sunday, January twenty fourth, The Royal Rumble. You won't want to miss it. Talking about interesting things coming up here on the USA Network in nineteen eighty eight, A big special January twenty fourth, a Sunday night live right into your living rooms. The Royal Rumble.

What do you know about the Royal Rumble. It's kind of like a reverse Battle Royal, A reverse Battle Royal. Yeah, let's say there's two guys in the ring. Every couple of minutes another guy comes down. Eventually the ring can be full of twenty thirty people. Has this been explained to you? Do you know exactly what you're talking to? You don't? Okay, here's what's happening folks. There are twenty men involved in this Royal Rumble. They each have a number. Nobody knows who's got number what. We

start out with number one and two inside the ring. After two minutes of wrestling has gone on, number three will enter the ring, and so the procedure continues until all twenty men have been called to the ring at what At one point there could be eight against number seven coming in. Fifteen men left at the end, but the ultimate winner will be the man who remains the last man to be thrown over the top rope and down to the floor of

the arena. Other interesting matches also involved here in the Royal Rumble. Ladies Tag Team Championship on the line, Clamor Girls against the Jumping Bomb Angels, who I think brain are going to be the next Ladies Champions of the World. No way, no way, it can't be done. Jimmy Hiris got him keen tuned and they're ready. Another interesting tag team matchup, the Killer Bees against Demolition. I go Demolition, You go with why because of mister

Fuji. He's a very strong factor. But the Demolition they're ready. Talking about strong factors, Let's talk about Dino Bravo, former Canadian heavyweight champion. He's going to attempt to break the world's bench press record of over seven hundred pounds. Where you think he's capable of doing, Yes, I do, you do, very strong upper body and he's a terment man, very too much upstairs though a Frenchie Martin as his manager. Well you consider that a

plus. I do do. It's coming your way Sunday night, January twenty fourth, right here on the USA Network, a free attraction, sort of a tribute to the World Wrestling Federation and a fan appreciation night, so fan appreciation humanoid night, the Bullwhip. Let's go to the interview, all right, gimble him on soon, Bobby the Week, Bobby the brain Head, and you know, of course you're talking about it about the big Rumble Royal,

that guy taking place USA Network from the Cops Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at seven pm Eastern Time on Sunday night, January the twenty fourth. What an extravaganza this is going to be. And it happens all free right here on the USA Network. By the way, In addition to the Rumble Royal, Rickey Steamboat to go against Ravishing Rick Rude Young Stallions to

meet the isitors in two out of three falls. Also a title defense for Jimmy Hart's Glamour Girls two out of three falls against the Jumping Palm Angels. Now onto the Rumbo Royal on the twenty from Hamilton here on the USA Cable Network. Outlaw, Rod Bass, you are gonna be one of a number of men that's gonna be involved in this extravaganza actually before the event takes place. Not gonna ready, He's welcome, hot or ladies welcome. No,

they're not fucking Betsyna be there. You better believe it. Side. Let me tell you for sure. All right, the numbers are gonna be put in a hat. You're gonna draw him out just prior to the matter. Back in the locker room. Then two men starting every two minutes thereafter one man is at it. What's gonna happen now? I mean, Gene, if you happen to be number one, or if you happen to be number two, is you're gonna be in that ring for a long long time.

In other words, you're gonna have to reach way down that bag of tricks, and you're gonna have to be really resourtful or you're gonna have to be just playing bad. And then in a case the big old outlaw, he's neither one. You look m down that land brother, like t be no tag teams in here. That's ever man for himself. It's called a royal

rumble. And what happens number one? If I'm number one, I got big party people, and you para believe you're looking at the mannequin does so right here on the USA people, you might have been believing that's a big outlaws. We're gonna be in there. If we're one, we'll take them all. If it's a rumba Royal. On January twenty fourth, at seven pm here on the USA Network, The Rumbell Royal, Yeah, obviously,

can you believe it? That's what it should be. It should have been called the Rumble Royal presenting there as far as I know, the very first description of the Royal Rumbell on ww television, that's wild to hear them, like navigate it like it's some concept from a far away land. To hear heenan just stumble over how many guys is involved, and it's just tremendous just to hear them it's so funny play around at the clay. That is the

idea of the match. Again, the emphasis on free fan appreciation night, as in, if we were to charge you on this night, we hardly appreciate our fans exactly. Why would we charge you for main event pay per views to quality wrestling. So for whatever taping it was where Gene Okerland got the word that we need you to do some interviews for this USA Network special we just put together. There's there's there's one where he was told it was

the Rumble Royal. Clearly, Yeah, you think about the idea of Battle Royal, right, you want to keep royal at the end. I can kind of understand that. Um, but yeah, Rumbo Royal, Yes, coming sooner. USA Network Television. Yeah. Ron Bass gets it right and Grilla mont soon gets it right. And here is the follow up a week later where Okay, kind of make fun of a Gene I think for getting it wrong. Good Sunday, January twenty fourth, the night of the big

happening the Royal Rumbo from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Cops calls Sam, I'm going to be there doing the commentary. You think hosting just like your host here on this program exactly you and me. It's going to be an outstanding night, a most unique night, a match one of a kind, so to speak. Royal rumble. I don't understand the royal rumble. You don't. Nobody's made it clear to me, yet you do it. Let

me try to explain it to your brain. You start out with twenty of the top wrestlers here in a world wrestling federation, each of which picks a number from one to twenty out of a hat, so to speak. No one knows who has what numbers. Number one and two start the match off by entering the ring at the same time. And the match begins. A timekeeper is on hand, and every two minutes the next number has to go

in. Number three will go in. After two minutes has expired, and after four minutes has expired, number four we'll go in at the same time. The action is going on in the ring. Guys may be eliminated at any point in time by being thrown over the top and onto the concrete floor. So like Jake Jake, the Saint Roberts could be number one one main

game could be number two. They start to may start then the could be three, possibly yes, Okay, then m Danny Davis could be four, right, so that could be like three against one on Jake the Snake. What do you mean three against one? Well, they could try to eliminate him, but then you got another guy coming in two minutes. Right, absolutely, Yeah, you're right. It's a very unique type match and very different and very interesting and dangerous to say the least. Wow, just they

don't know what to make of it. They keep explaining it over and over again, and that's wild. It's wild to hear because it's just it's it's so taken for granted that it's always been dyed in the wall, but it was on television then navigating what it meant. Hannah, let's concern ourselves with the Royal Rumble right now, this most unusual type match where twenty men involved in this what seems to be a battle royal, but a little different participation

as far as how the combatants entered the ring. Well, that little fur fade ball headed midget gene Orca, and he was calling at the rumble Royal with the Royal Rumble. And the reason they call it the Royal Rumble is because the King Harley. No, that is not the reason at all. That is not the reason. Are you sure? No, Yeah, I'm positive I don't think so. Well, let's look at some of the contestants

involved in that brain You've got some guys in there. You've got You've got the King of course, another friend of yours, One Man Gang, Dino Bravo, the Natural Butcher Reid. You look at you, the Hearts, the bees. Your talking about three tag teams, Dangerous Danny Davis, Ron Bass, Jake the Snake, Roberts, the Ultimate Warrior, the Rock, the Magnificent One, j Y d the dumb Yard DAWs. Let's not forget the Hillbilly, Jim Badman, Bigelow. It's a dangerous type man. It's

over the top rope to the floor, right. But the important thing is that once the first two guys are in there and the matches started, two minutes will elapse between the next individual coming in. That's what makes it interesting and exciting, right, It's still elimination in the same manner. Over the

top rope, out of the arena floor. All right. I want to expostulate just momentarily on the virtues of this, but I a the shootnique event that's gonna be taking place next Sunday night, January the twenty fourth, originally from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Royal Rumble twenty men at all involved in this this very exciting and unique event for the first time ever, a Royal

Rumble, Rumble, Royal something they call it whatever. Are gonna be going for a lot of and a lot of well, I imagine notoriety for the man who wins this one. Oh my god, what a fucking He just wants to expostulate momentarily. Yeah, I can expostulate momentarily. Use that in any kind of meeting, like next meeting, Just just do that. SE's just going to expostulate momentarily. If I could get the funk out of here, you're fired. Do you need to go to the bathroom? Yeah?

Is that some kind of like x slax thing or what? So? The top of things notable in there one Demolition verse Killer Bees. They mentioned that match. Yeah, it doesn't happen. Demolition aren't even in the city. They're in a different city. Yea, the Bees are in the rumble. They also mentioned that Grill and Bobby are going to be on the call. That's not what happens. It's Vincent Jesse on the call. Isn't it yes?

Right? It is totally vincent Jesse. Eventually something happens where Heenan realizes he can't make the shot, so he starts making excuses on Primetime about how he's going to be in Barbados on like Gorilla starts a thing about well, I need a co host for a couple of weeks. He's doing that whole thing on Primetime and then he suffers a heart attack for legit yes wow,

and ends up not being able to make the Royal Rumble himself. So that's how we end up with the fateful pairing of Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura. One might think, you know, it's Ventura Saturday Night's main event. I g Ebersaul's involved that. No, it was a last minute scramble and they found Jesse, who was right. We've talked about this under the cinemat. He is well on his way in Hollywood at this point. I I you know, I've I've already had my second movie released, The Running Man with

Arnold Schwarzenegger and uh, you know, with a Professor to Tanaka. I already have my sag card. I've already got my got my union. I've got I've got my union, and I don't know, boss, if you agree he's getting a little testy with the boss on the air. Oh god, almighty, the whole fucking like talking about the lawyers and and and Barry Bloom and he mentions Berry Bloom and rumble, don't make me talk to Barry Bloom is here the rumble? I don't know yet. You know, you

know what I'm talking about, Vince McMahon. You know I've got hey, you know what, I've got my union, I've got representation. You're not going to push me around anymore. Oh my god. And you can hear I swear that they've already had a little bit friction between him. Yeah, because that Vince has got to state cape Fabe is the string announcer, so we can just needle him right on all this stuff that actually is pissing him off, that's going on in real life. They're gonna have to pay me

more money, right, How does that make you feel? McMahon, Um, Uh, well, you know these are uh, you know, nothing's

for certain. We'll say that when it comes to uh financial contributions to the talent in the WWE, we have certain uh you know, um regulations and certain procedures in order to uh to provide our talent with the appropriate you know, the the the the appropriate uh financial uh compensation right and level of representation for that's right and and love you know, we we appreciate the fact that that that a man of such esteemed talent as as a Jesse, the body

of ventura is um you know, he is seeking other opportunities and uh and and also in that respect needs to desires really the the the companionship on a professional level of a man such as Barry Bloom Right. I don't know after having watched just say, huh think you can't picture what I talked over? You say it again, Oh I showed What the hell did you just say? Okay, I'll repeat myself, Jazz that having watched this in eighty eight, yes, I mean as it took place, I can't imagine this being

called by Gorilla and heenan. Yeah, yeah, I agree, it's it doesn't it wouldn't feel it actually wouldn't feel right because one of the things I think it's great about this and Jesse was so awesome at this because he felt

licensed to say whatever he wanted. Yea, even if you know he would defend the heels, he'd point out contradictions, even if it put the baby face announcer in a possible position to explain why it's okay when a good guy does this and not okay but a bad guy does the exact same thing. All the things he would do just to point out contradictions, that's his nature. He's a contrarian, right, He's well, that's not consistent. I'm a third list. I'm a third party, right right. I look at

it, a look at all the different things. I see how you know, you get one side doing one thing, get the other side doing the same thing, yet yet they're being criticized for it exactly the other side's not getting criticized for it. Why do we criticize these guys? That was his thing and it means that much more. Then when he just starts rejoicing at

the concept of the rumble match as it's unfolding. Yep, how many times does he say something like this is really interesting, yes, yes, and he starts realizing how fun it is to think about the idea of strategy and how how you have to play it different If you draw an early number versus a late number. He gives us the blueprint for how to put over somebody who lasts a long time and heart yep, yep, yeah, he puts over Britain Hart over Huge who draws number two in this rumble. And he's

starting to identify those key beats that one. I think it was him and Tito, I don't know, Yeah, it was he one. I think he's won. Yeah, um, But he starts to identify the key beats of calling a rumble, the key beats of like the stories of rumble can tell and he's yes, And it's not like he's referring to production notes to

do it. He's realizing it as the match plays out before his eyes that this is actually really TV friendly and there's a hell of a lot of things you can say, yeah about a Royal Rumble match that that you can't say about a traditional match. And I just think it's it's it's really cool, and I think it would have been a big loss actually to the concept if it was Gorilla and Bobby doing stick back and forth instead of you know,

Jesse's proclivities to like really focus on the merits of the match. I totally agree I think he really gets over, like how hard of a task this is for these guys, and and it's it's kind of a happy accident. And that's that's WWF for you. All the great things they do. You go back in history and it just was a fucking a lark. It was just due to some chance that last minute changed that it worked out the way it did and stuck the way it did. From Steve Auston versus Bret Hard

all the way on down. Yep, let's hear a little more. This is them discussing the realization on primetime that Bobby's not going to be able to be in the chair for Rumble and the gorilla is going to need some backup. Mister Marston. Yes, yes there one eight? Oh great, Hello Bob, Yes, yeah, I know, I know, Yes, I know you're busy making movies. I understand that. Yeah, this one's about a prison. Just a moment, please, yeah. Question, are you

tied up this weekend? You're shooting Friday? And how about Sunday? You're you're available? Great? I'd like you to co host this Royal Rumble with me, because this piece of garbage sitting next to me just informed me today that he's bailing out going to Barbados or something, but you can't make it. Oh great, Yeah, go direct to the coliseum and I'll meet you. There are cops, right, yeah, try to get to earth. What is it to talk to him when you're done? Wait, wait a

second, hey, Jess, good walk in the movie. Hey, be interesting going on to Barbados when you stop, he's not going to I'll see me Sunday. Yeah, trying to be a nice scoli seum. Right, it doesn't matter what you wear. Where that snake thing? I gotta know what I gotta wear. Okay, I'll see that. Great, it is confirmed, folks, Jesse the Body Ventura will infect co host the Royal Rumble with me this coming Sunday. How do you like those apples? I could

maybe a convinced Jesse to just come in and occupy this chair. True my chair? Well that we'll be back with our feature. And just wait a minute, monshoon, you're talking cops. Coloseum bod are calling back? Yeah, I just want to confirm some things here. Number one, what Colosseum are we talking about? Cops? Cops? What? What? Where's that? Hamilton, Ontario? Jess, Well, I've never been to Ontario.

Of course you have or met may Belief Gardens a hundred times. I think he's offered I well, I well, Gino, you know, you kind of thrown me for a little bit. Jess must be talking again, and he must be high as a kite. He's paranoid about accepting the royal rumble gig what it could be? Just what I you know, I just don't know if it's the best move for me to go to to go to on Terry. Sounds like you got warrants. Okay, see what else we could do? Yes, I'd love to know what if he didn't actually wasn't a

vacation, Like what's the deal? Like, how does he know he's not probable to make it right? Fascinating? Um? Yeah, And you know, Vince at the time was just the voice of Superstars. He was just one of many announcers on roster. He wasn't really like it's got a step down to him in there, but he did. But he did do the Satura Nis main event, didn't he He did? Yeah, he did with Jesse, So I mean it's not like complete step down. And he was

hosting Tuesday Night Titans too. He did such a miserable job filling in for Gorilla on primetime. Wow, really like a two week period there where Gorilla was recuperating from it what was, you know, obviously a mile heart attack. He was back quite soon, but oh he tries to sit in there and the Gorilla chair and try to do stick with Bobby and it is so bad. And in fact, Keenan at one point goes, can we find somebody else? He looks off camera, is there anybody else we can send

down here? Not notwithstanding Fince was hardly the ultra polished television performer we would know from the Attitude era at this particular point in time, but I think he does a pretty good job of the Rumble eighty eight proadcast. Sure, yeah, agree. So that's how we get to the announcing composition that we have on this show. And for Bruce Pitcher whould come in in eighty seven, this was the first live TV show he had been asked to put together.

In a lot of ways, if you don't count pay per view, which doesn't have advertising breaks, it's the first time Wwffitt had to do a live television show with ad breaks where they were really responsible for timing out the segments to make sure it didn't go long, timing it out to make sure they had the ad breaks where they needed them, and just a whole lot of considerations that you really don't need to do a you know, live to tape show, even Saturday Night's main events, we're live to tape at the

time you had pay per views, but again less considerations around timing with ads and stuff, and the MTV shows were MTV pretty much doing all that. They were just producing a Madison Square Garden television show like they always did, right, you know, the monthly MSG shows on the MSG network or like Prison in Philadelphia. So it was kind of a new series of demands being put on a WWF that, you know, it's kind of a bare bones

thing. They put the show in Hamilton, according to Pritchard, because it was proximate enough to Toronto and all the dates they had in Canada around this January twenty fourth, this was the one that was closest to where they knew they could reliably get cameras and the kind of equipment that you need to do

a live shoot. Because they had some experience, I guess doing live shows from Maple Leaf Gardens on a Canadian television back then, So they picked Hamilton for that reason, and they didn't even go to Hamilton until the morning of. He said. They chartered the jet from Stamford to Hamilton and got to the town at one o'clock in the afternoon the day of the Rumble, like Vince and everybody, and they had a production meeting and put everything together.

Pritchard was involved a bit in formatting Survivors series eighty seven for television. The job is pretty much like, you know, Vince and Pat figure out who's wrestling, who, who's going over, what the card looks like, and then Pritchard has to like, you know, interpret it in a way that

helps the directors and stuff actually make it a television show. So he's in the position of really sweating how long everybody's taking at the Rumble eighty eight and how the show's progressing and pacing, and it was a daunting a task for him, and it's kind of programming. He doesn't hesitate to admit that Pritchard on a show because sometimes he gets cute about that, you know, acting like it was just a coincidence that it hurt Crockett or hurt WCW that they

did something. Yeah, yeah, this one you cannot deny, said absolutely. This was Crocket's first attempt to pay per view, and Vince did not want them to have success on pay per view. That's so amazing. That

really was the thing. It wasn't just a fuck with. It was to not present in the pay per view provider's mind that there is a viable alternative if we don't adhere to Olivins's demands, that there's nothing else that can do any kind of anywhere near the atmosphere of numbers that WWF can not at all. No, we are the numbers. We are the only entertainment that people

out there in the world will want to watch. And this would hardly be the end of this volley back and forth, even though there was kind of a truce called after the eighty seven Thanksgiving situation where the cable companies would like, look, guys, you can't force us to choose between the two again. We can all make money here. But come WrestleMania four. What's on opposite that on TBS? Do you remember, boss? I do remember?

It would be the first ever clash of the champions Sting versus Flare and the performances, right, sting, So Crockett's firing back. Fast forward to WrestleMania five and what's on TBS clashed the Champions. It's um, it's the second of the Flare and Steamboat matches, right, tremendous. It's the two out of three falls match. Yeah, so um, pretty wild that we're in the throes of that return is the first one. That's the middle one,

right, are you talking about between Flare and Steamboat? Yeah? Yeah, it is because they did um, Shytown Rumble. I believe it's March. They did this one and they did Russell Warre in May, Okay of eighty nine. Yes, I believe Shytown Rumble. Maybe it was February. Actually

February of nineteen eighty nine. So we turned to a seminal text in the history of the show, Shauna Sail and Mike Munaham's Sex, Lies and Headlocks, for a quick sketch about what that competitive tension was like At the time of the nineteen eighty eight Royal Rumble between Crockett and Vince Sale writes, it

was a blood bath. Only five cable companies out of the original two hundred stayed loyal to the Crocketts, and Starcade wound up being bought by just fifteen thousand homes, the leading the company, taking just eighty grand after expenses. Oh, Crockett made weathered it if he had a strong base, But as he looked around, he realized that the two in revenue streams he'd hoped would carry him to the top pay per view income in national advertising sales were bone

dry. Remember he has those balloon contracts. Were like, He's signing these guys to big promises down the line, thinking I'm gonna get going on pay per view like Vince's and I'll be able to afford these contracts. Call seven eighty eight. Nope, nope, and it is not going to let you succeed. There the in hell, pal, that's when people start leaving in droves in eighty eight. Right. What he needed was a salesforce akin to

the one Vince had built. Instead, all he had was a few fast talking consultants in New York and a bunch of grateful wrestlers driving Mercedes in Dallas. As he turned to his bankers to make up for cash flow problems, resentments in the family begin to flare. David, who had grown up, sharing the same room with his brother David Crockett that is had to choke back, discussed every time he flew to Dallas and saw the suite of marble FLOORID

offices bearing his father's name. Big Jim always told them never to flunt their money before the public, which is why he ran things out of his house until his wife got a new white carpet. Only then did he move his office to a boarded up convenience store marble floor. David was sure their father was turning in his grave like many of the wrestlers. David also believed that Rhodes was running on fumes. For one thing, he'd all but given up

on writing. The days of his half hour classic matches were gone, replaced by Bland, Blink and You Miss A playlets. Rhodes argued that he didn't want to give away the best material free on television because he needed to save

it for pay per view. Either way, the Saturday night show on TBS that McMahon had left with a five point three rating I'm talking about Black Saturday, was doing at two point nine in October nineteen eighty seven, five point three to two point nine on We Extended down to the arena shows, where Roads insisted on penciling himself in his Flaire's challenger long after the fans stopped caring.

Worse he'd fallen in love with the transparent trek ending dust. He would win their matches, only to have the referee to qualify him on a technicality after the belt told. The scheme allowed Flaire to retain then wa belt, but at a cost his title was diminished, while Rhodes, whose weight problem

was becoming embarrassing, clung to the limelight. At Christmas of nineteen eighty seven, Roads launched a last gasp series of bunk House Stampede events, and which two dozen wrestlers started in a ring and got eliminated as each was thrown over the ropes until one was finally left standing. Not only are they flung out of the ring, Boss, So I forget Bunkhouse Stampede eighty eight. You got thrown over the top of a steel cage wall. Are you serious?

I have no idea, I've never seen it. Can you imagine a battle row? You have to pull a guy up a cage and throw them over? How convoluted that looks? I would imagine that it just makes total sense. You know what. I'll even submit to you that maybe we'll find out for ourselves next time when TLF covers Bunk House Stampede eighty eight. That's the game plan, folks, So lock yourselves in on that, because by the time we're done with Rumble eighty eight, it just begs to be done.

And it's not a show that's really going to beg to be done any other time as far as I can tell, I mean, no one else is begging to haven't done. It's correct. Rhodes had wrestlers flinging garbage cans and tire irons, well dressed in stetsons and spurs, and after eight successful shows, he decided to turn the whole thing into a pay per view. That's not forget. The bunk House Stampede was like a house show attraction, much

like War Games under Dusty. The main event was to be a cage match, literally a match held inside a locked wire cage placed over the ring the prior eight Bunk House winners. Once again, he penciled himself in to win the main event. The January twenty fourth, nineteen eighty eight show might have done business in Atlanta or Dallas yet Crockett inexplicably decided to stage it at Long

Island's Nassau Cool sum. That's what they went wrong, and they thought they could punch back instead of doubling down right on their strengths to Chicago, because the biggest problem right exactly like that was the biggest problem to begin with, Like you would have made more money if you'd stayed, if you'd stayed at home and done it on pay per view from home, right Vince's game of moving in other other areas. You're going to strike at the right moment,

and it's not the right moment. Power. It's so sad during this period to hear Dusty and Flair come out and like talk about Baltimore and New York and Boston in LA and try to like sell the people on the idea that they were draws and all the same cities WWF was And it's like you're just not You're running these towns and you're not making any money. It's pointless. You're only doing it because you want to all yourself that you can beat Vince

at that game. Instead of doubling down, circling the wagons. You know, a place that owed more to Billy Joel Shawn of Sale writes than Billy Jack making matters worse. McMahon once again counterprogrammed another show aimed to hobble Crockett. This time he decided to attack via cable, creating a Battle Royal of his own and airing it free on USA. Now, the framing might quibble with a bit, because it always seems to me and I could be wrong

about this and naive about this. Clearly the idea was to go after Crockett on Crockett's Night. But I think it's USA that wanted alive special and perhaps it was Vince who suggested this particular night to do it on m I see, but the Slammings had gone on in late nineteen eighty seven and that was a big hit for USA two, So they really liked the idea of not just you know, the weekly television, but one off specials. Sure,

of course, and this is the latest in that regard. Okay, more than three million homes tuned in to see his show, called The Royal rum Bowl, a record up to that time for the network and the most homes ever tuned to a wrestling show. Jim Cornette remember sitting in the Colisseum's locker room for the Crockett show, and looking around at the long faces. We wanted to be there, like we wanted to have our mothers hooked up to

a machine. The crowd was dead. They hated everything because they'd never see a machine like I don't know, like a oxygen. Machines only indicates the entire health. No one wants to see their mother in the hospital hooked up to a machine. I think that that's what he's trying to say, but he needs to say that little bit better. After it was over, several wrestlers climbed into a limousine to head to the Helmsley Palace hotel in Manhattan. Tutlly Blanchard, who was in a foul mood, was one of them.

Dusty just booked himself against Dusty, he muttered. At the hotel bar. Blanchard's mood got worse with every new drink that got poured. Finally, he and Crockett exchanged words. Dusty's a genius, Crockett insisted and walked away. This thing is going to hell and he can't see it. Blanchard said to no one in particular, Dusty told me he was a genius. Oh my god, Jim, he's a genius. Jim, what it's not working, Jim, You're not. I can It's exactly right. I know it's sacrilegious

to remember. This was Dusty's reputation in the business before Cody came along. Let's not forget all this. Okay, dust is doing fine, his shit is great, and you know, we're just gonna keep on moving forward because that's that's what Dusty tells me. Sounds like a plan. And I am. I'm you know what, I'm I'm the new vinstrict Man. That's correct, and there's nothing you can do about that. Jim Crocket's face when I'm saying that, I'm the new Vince McMahon with no curism at all, and

there's nothing you can do about that. Tolly, I am the new Vince mrict Man. And I and I'm I and I'm gonna keep on making money.

And let's not forget A big reason that Tully skips down is, uh, you know, during the transition, when Turner starts kicking the tires on buying Jim Crockett promotions, there's all these like back back channel me with different talent about you know, how they feel about the state of affairs and the business and feeling them out and being part of this new what would become WCW and Blanchard complains loudly, I guess you could say, or at least vociferously

about Dusty and his booking. They were at odds, clearly, and the idea was everything said in these sessions as confidential, just some due diligence, and then of course instantly Dusty finds out about it, and pretty soon Tully is confronted with working conditions he can't tolerate and leaves with arn Anderson to WWF,

that's right. So this bunkhouse stampede and the rumble kicking its ass and fucking it all up leads to, apparently, according to Shawn a sales book, a Manhattan hotel blow up from Tully Blanchard that would be very much the canary in the coal mine for what would be a disastrous nineteen eighty eight for

Jim Crockett Promotions. Also around this time, the WF had just signed Big Bubba Rogers, one of Dusty Rhodes's big investment projects, in Crockett to become the Big boss Man, and he was pissed off about his payoff for the scaffold match. It's at a starcade. So these kinds of problems starting to really red in terms of defections. But I didn't but I paid you, didn't I I saw something in you. I gave you. I in a sense, I gave I gave you my my, my innocence. And how

did you pay me back? And what did you turned your back on me? You paid me back in scorn? You pick me, You're you're a scornful fat bit. Should have at least paid me back in corn something with that. You know, you could at least pay me back in porn. That's good. So he's fine that season, full control. It's not like he's going on TBS and basically having a hissy fit about being punked by Vince.

Thank you, thank you very much, Billie. You know all my years have to fall a long time, and bill at does for wrestling. What the major magazines look magazines, time, magazines, books illustrated to for the rest of the world, the finest gentleman, the finest publication pro wresting illustrated of any magazine in the world. And proof of that it's right here I want to take the minute fast throughout this country that love Dust the Rods

and voted Dust the rosbook Popular Wrestler. But most of all, what tells what Jim Crockett promotions are all about and what the wrestling world it's all about. What's the scene right here? Magi ta and the key to cull off. That's what it's all about. It ain't no comedy, it ain't no cartoon, it ain't no comedy cat television and talk about something that you create, create what it is. It's Jim Crockett promotion, the real, the real wrestling. Take your villas, Okay, Dust, Wow, how you

doing Dust? You're gonna be all right? Hey man, that's what I'm talking about, Daddy. We're talking about the day I've been to pick a CuPy cat motherfucking be for ship, Daddy eating the ferial. Baby. When I'm talking about it, I gotta go home, Daddy. I gotta take the things and I gotta say fuck it, fuck you. Hold on, man, I gotta take the things and I gotta say, fuck it.

What things would those be? Does I matter? The things are, baby, to the things that I need, the thing that you need, the thing that the wall name daddy and make Donna say fuck it because all they do they're steal the things that I have, the things that I am, baby, and they do it the bad way. Thank you, Thank you very much, Billy. You know all my years refling. I've known Bill out there for a long time. And Bill out done, don for reffling.

What the major magazines look, magazines, time, magazines, books don't spread it do for the rest of the world. The finest walking I'm on the finest public and illustrated a Bay magazine in the world. And proof of that it's right here. I want to take the mini fast throughout this country. That love Dust, the Rosan voted Dust, the robot popular wrestler. But most of all, what what tells what Jim Crocket Promotions are all about?

The restling world. It's all about what's the scene right here? Magnum ta and the key to call off. That's what it's all about. Baty. It ain't no cartoon, it ain't no company, cat glor television and talk about something that you grace create what it is. It's Jim Crocket's emotion, the real, the real wrestling. Take your daddy, Daddy is no cartoon. Baby, we're not torting the heath stiff, Daddy. We're not talking about about our pound puppets of my pet moms and Daddy. We're talking

about people. We're talking about emotions, Daddy. We're talking about what is real, what is fake? And what is mine? Baby? What is real? What is fake? What is mine? An unauthorized biography of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes. I mean, you talk about a guy losing grip. You talk about a guy who's like everything he tells himself is starting to go up and smoke about who he is and what he is. Yes, tremendous and uh copycat, that's what this is. The rumble is I mean,

they were already calling it bunkhouse brawls, as we've documented. Let's just fucking put it in the ring. Let's do a royal rumble on the same night they're got a royal rumble, and there's no competition. Pale at the best man. When we're talking, we're talking competition. We know this is the best way to compete. Let's see what the fans want. Let's see you know what's more desirable the bunkhouse dot Pete Sampede or the royal rumble.

I'm not copying anything. I'm creating my own creationally. Remember what are you talking about, daddy? You're taking my idea of men in the ring bade a number of men double digits in the ring doing things, baby, throwing hands. Fairness, you hardly have a copyright on the idea and men in the ring. I mean, Dusty, I don't mean to be to be, you know, offensive in anyway, but you I mean, last time I checked that there are a number of other organizations that do have men in

rings. I don't know if that is illegal. Um, you know, do you did you license the idea to other people? The baby? I don't need a license nothing, daddy. All I know is you feel my ideas. Baby, You steal, you stole from your making dream dating roads. You do the things out there that I do over here, baby, and you're gonna fuck yourself for doing the things that you do over there with the thing that I do over here. And I'm gonna dance around the circles

until you understand. Are you gonna keep talking around in circles? How do you're gonna dance? You're gonna dance in servile right now? Can I see can I see that? What? What do you dusk? Can you? Can you listen? We'll get back to the conversation about about about how I stole things from you, But first I would like to see you dance in the circle. You know? Okay? Good, good Patterson? Patterson, Imagine this in polka dots. Imagine him doing this. Keep going, Dusty,

don't don't pay any ntion to Patterson. Look at him. Look at him. He's like because his hands going around and like a little flaming little whatever polka dots. We put him in polka dots. Sounds good, Vince, I loved I love the idea. Yeah, Dusty, when when you're tell you what, give me a call? All right, we'll we'll we'll

talk baby while you're going UNTI fuck, fuck, it's going well. Newsday in New York, which is, of course the paper that covers Long Island, the geography where the Bunkhouse Stampede will be taking place in nineteen eighty eight. There on top of it, this is a couple of days before the show, when the Friday City edition they print the following, Grappling gladiators vie

for viewers. Okay, I'm sold Royal Wrestling Federation, which Boshulk Coogan and Andre the Giant on its roster of grappling gladiators, once again seems bent on thwarting the pay per view TV efforts of its rival, the National Wrestling Alliance, represented by chokehold artists like Dusty Rhodes and Rick Flair, although it's calling the timing coincidental, the Connecticut based WWF is airing a power packed card free

to cable viewers on the USA Network on Sunday. The very same night, the North Carolina based NWA has a special pay per view card scheduled for cable. Insiders say that when the NWA announced its Bunkhouse Stampede featuring twenty monument on that win and a no holds barred Rumble with the winner being the last left standing in the ring, the WWF quickly put together the Royal Rumble with surprise twenty wrestlers. The rules are similar. A WWF spokesman said, the Royal

Rumbo has been in the planning, stay just for some time. Come on, let's get Mike Webber on this. That's been in the plant. Come on, you know, I mean, we're aware that they're out there, but I'm sorry, Are we supposed to put every idea that we've ever had out there? And what? What? What? Just in case someone one day accuses us of you know, copycat and come listen, listen the royal Rumble idea. We we we first came up with this in nineteen eighty six,

guys, years come please listen. You're hometown paper. Guys, do you understand do you understand how long it takes to to to take an idea? All right? Someone has an idea, then to develop it, all right? Then we have to kind of Then we have to develop it. We have to throw things at it and see what happens. Then we have to keep it moving, to stretch it out. We have to play with it. And you're here suggesting that we hear about what they're doing and we

can just spring an action. You're giving them way too much credit, and you can even that's not nearly enough. Do you know? I don't even I don't even know what they're doing over they don't watch their style. What is it a bunk house? What is it that? Anyway? What is a bunk house? What is it a bunk bed? Do they have a match on a bunk is that what it is? This guy's looking over his

glasses at Vince, who's across the room, pantomiving everything. They should say, you get twenty you got to get twenty three guys in a bunk bed and they got to throw each other out. Is that how it works? It's a bunk bed stampede you're talking. I mean, it's just it's it's it's this is ludicrous. It's ludicrous to suggestionwhere near the same concept, Jerry, Jerry, Look, I respect you guys, you guys, I know your editor well, I've known him for years. I just gotta say,

I think you're off on this one. I think this is this is a little the way you're framing this thing is a little unfair. Okay, we would listen, if we make a mistake, we're going to admit to it exactly, and if we don't need to. We're not paying to copy good ideas. We're not above acknowledging. But that's not what's happening here, Jerry. You know, Yeah, if we were coppying, if we if we said, if anything, Dusty's coppying our ideastly, if you want to go

there, we can. Ah. I mean, it's off the record. But you gotta you gotta understand this. I mean you listen, You're we're letting you in. We're letting you see more than we really should, you know, and we trust you in that way as long as it's off the record. And of course the thing is said. You know what you're you're writing a non story. That's one of my favorite. It's nothing, Burger, Jerry, Jerry, you got nothing here. There's nothing. We're running

a show. That's what we do. We've been with USA since nineteen eighty three. This is not just because the other guys have a show on the same night. I don't you know what I mean. Listen, you know we don't. We don't select the dates. USA says we want to show, all right, we gotta do come. We used to say no because the other guys have a pay per view that night. We gotta say, oh, you know what, sorry, guys, it's not we don't. We don't want to business works. We don't want to help you guys out,

the guys who were under contract. We've been in the business a long time, all right. Yeah, we don't have that kind of power. Jerry, you're gonna print what you're gonna print. Okay, just just just realize he's telling you you're making a mistake exactly, You're making a mistake. This is your career, not mine. And you hang right and call his editor and try to get him to stop the story. You act like to Jerry that that's the last word on it, and then you play other games

to try to go over his head. Bill. Bill, Yeah, I'm over here at Titan You got you got a guy out there writing a story and Andy, Andy, and he can't listen. It's all bullshit. It's's there's no fact behind it. He's got no he's got no sources. What do you mean, right, the guy listen, he's talking about us stealing an idea from from from from Jim Crockett Promotions down to me, it's it's but it's the same as their show, right or something. No, No, but yeah, but again, we don't do that's not our call.

That's not our call. Oh is this is a non story all right? You guys are It's it's just it's gonna get lost in the clouds because there's nothing to back it up. There's no there's no repeating of this. It's just it's just a thing that happened. What's his name again? What's this editor's name? Joe Bill Bell Bell. Look, you know, you know

I grew up in the Tri State area. I have a lot of respect for you guys, and I'd hate to see your credibility take a hit just because one of your one of your reporters has this this you know theory that's that this conspiracy theory has come up with. Honestly, I mean, there's it's it's not going to reflect well on Newsday to go out there and frame it the way this guy sounds like he's gonna frame it. I just I thought I had to call you and let you know that that's I just think.

I just think you're making a big error. All right, you look, try State native. I lived with you know, my my parents moved this to to to to eighty six straight, all right, I've been there. Well you know they still live there. They still live there, all right, And listen, my blood is in this city. My blood is in this city. I mean, I basically have Newsday newsprint in my in my skin. I have read I have read Newsday, I have read the New York Times, and I have read the Wall Street Journal. And be

a laughing stock. It's all I'm saying, and it's you're never going to recover because we didn't steal anything. We have the idea back in nineteen eighty six, all right, we it just takes time. It takes time to develop, and we can't just have an idea and put it on TV. And look, I guess it was to assume that your report would understand that. But you know, I listen, listen, I just you know you and I go way back, and I'm doing you this favor, all right.

I'm trying to help you before before it gets out of hand, and I think you know what's going to happen if it does, all right, and I did what I you know I'm doing. I'm doing what I can to help you. We have options here, some of them are nuclear, and I'm just letting you know that I can. I can. I can tell you right now that if something happens here, I cannot be held responsible

for what mister mcman chooses to do. If this story is framed the way it sounds like your reporter wants to frame it, there's going to be I'll tell you what consequences. I mean, tell you there should be consequences. And we don't hold a lot of cards, but there are some we do hold with some very powerful people that you need to stay in the good graces. Off Bill, I just want to say, you know, if you if you play this card the wrong way, Bevin's Nick Mann is going to

own Newsday. All right, I'll talk to you later, Mike Bill. Yeah. Donald Trump on line one, a WWF spokesman said the Royal Rumble has been in the planning stages for some time and was not prompted by the nWay event, but our sources say it will greatly diminish the nway's pay per view base. At WWF live card featuring Hogan, to be held at Madison Square Garden on Monday, is also expected to hurt Punk House tendance at the

Nasau Coliseum on Sunday. That's right. Think about that. They're running Nasau Coliseum on Sunday night and the next night Hogans at Madison Square Garden. You want to get both tickets. I'd want to get both tickets. Oh, I would totally do that. You kidding me. The n w WA's last pay per view card, held on Thanksgiving, also faced WWF competition in the form of a rival pay per view event, and it went swimmingly electronic media.

February first, nineteen eighty eight, World Wrestling Federation Royal Rumble earned the highest ratings ever for USA Network ever the twenty men wrestling match in January twenty fourth through and eight point two eight point two cable rating eight point two eight point two eight point two. I mean, these days we talk about a demographic rating like zero point six's cause for celebration, we didn't even do the ratings anymore. We just do the cumulative audio number. Right, they're like

down around like twos. Now, if that it's amazing, um that that kind of resonance. Um. But as Pritchard says, you know, back then to Vince, ratings weren't a big deal, and USA Network and Dick Ebersol were probably happier than they were a titan about a television rating. It was cable TV. It was like, okay, great, they'll keep us on when it comes time to renegotiate. But all of our stuff um on

USA was the highest stuff on that network. And that's like, that's that's the secret man, Like all these years from k Coplevitz to Bonnie Hammer too. Yeah, the other guy that ran the network. Um, oh my god, I say the other guy just because I'm I know he's a big deal. Reaching for his name, the guy who was running Barry Diller USA. They all pretend that they have a network without w WF, and of

course they don't. And now it's like to point where literally, if ww did not does not re up with USA network, the channel, as far as I can tell, will mostly cease to exist. So that's that, and it was the case in eighty eight, it was the case before that, and it's the case after that. Here's an article that kind of orients us to the tone around the wrestling business in the months following Royal Rumble and

really capturing the time period the Rumble takes place in. It was published on May twenty third, nineteen eighty eight, and electronic media headline riding high with wrestling sizzling sport is hot television property too. So this is um, I believe, sort of helpful context as we think about what rating like this for the very first televised Royal Rumble meant to the you know, television business.

Writ large boss, if you could please absolutely there may have been a time when wrestling was a pseudo sport to be snickered at, but no more. Wrestling is hot and glittery these days, both as a live event and as a television programming. Television and wrestling in fact, have become an extensively compatible couple. Wrestling provides strong ratings to the television industry, the TV exposure promotes

wrestlings, merchandising and ticket sales. Perhaps nowhere is the marriage of convenience stronger than at the World Wrestling Entertainment. The WWE stages three weeknight wrestling events and six more on weekends, and uses them to feed three weekly, hour long syndicated TV shows. These shows, produced by Titan Sports, are carried by

nearly three hundred stations, about half of which our network affiliates. One hundred of the stations have been added in the last year alone, and TV revenue including home video is hovering, and the fifty million a year range live gates and merchandising, both of which benefit immensely from the TV exposure, bring in another three hundred million. The WWE's Wrestling network penetrates nine brother What Network,

What Dude Network? Brother The w's Wrestling Network penetrates ninety six percent of the country, A respectable part of the country is tuning in. Recent syndication figures from as from ac Nielsen company gave WWE programming a one hundred nine point nine national rating. Yes, what how do they get that number? You just you accumulate every single station in the country that's airing the syndicated show. You

put them all together. You assume there's no duplicate eyeballs, So you do like a what a eight point two in New York and a four point two and Sheboygan. You just keep atting. Wow Jesus. As for network numbers, the WWE's last primetime main event special, which NBC aired in February, got a fifteen point two rating and a twenty five share percentage of sets and use. Those figures represent a record TV wrestling audience of thirty three million viewers.

On the cable side of the TV industry, at USA network, telecast of WWE Royal Rumble in January chucked up an eight point two rating, a record for any special carried by that basic cable network. Finally, the recent WrestleMania four gross and estimated forty million from closed circuit home video and pay per view, where it drew average buy rates of about nine percent. Perhaps not surprisingly, WWE has built a state of the art TV production center near at

Stamford, Connecticut headquarters. The center is equipped with broadcast studios for live, remote, or taped feeds. It also will make customized copies of WWE tapes twenty four hours a day for local syndication markets. WWE is not the only major player in the wrestling business. In addition to a few regional wrestling organizations, the field includes the Wrestling Network, which carries the National Wrestling Alliance on

nearly two hundred TV stations, up from seventy stations a year ago. We're both going to stay in business for a long long time, and we're both going to make good money. He was heaping out of business within six months of saying this, says Jim crocket who' Jim Crockett Promotions in Charlotte, North

Carolina, produces the Wrestling Networks matches. While the casual observer might not detect much difference between either company's productions aside from the more lurid, bloodier style of NWA matches, mister Crockett insists a distinction exists, we present it more as an athletic event, where the WWE presents it more in a show business style. They use dogs, birds, snakes, and we have more athletes in

the ring. The next new wrestling wrinkle US TV viewers we'll see as a syndicated pro wrestling sitcom, Learning the Ropes, featuring Lyle Alzado along with NWA performers. Meanwhile, WWE is upgrading its syndication presentation, using its new production facility to present a studio based host announcer in Oakerland. The idea is to make WW shows look more like network sports programs. But even the giants of wrestling are not betting their entire future on weird men in Tight trunks. Mister

Crockett is planning some non wrestling and action adventure films. Okay, WW is contemplating other wrestling program including a revival of a talk show like the TNT program that formerly ran on USA Network. You know, we're very conscious of the fact that there can only be so much similar product on television, says Basil

de Vito, w's senior vice president of Marketing and Promotion. Still, for the foreseeable future, at least, the focus remains on wrestling, which has, as they say, come a long way since being launched as part of P. T. Barnum's sideshow attractions. Wrestling eventually found its way to television, but as an essentially local attraction with more beef than pizzaz. Its rebirth as a national sport probably began with Gorgeous George, a popular wrestler who blaze

a trail on small TV screens in the nineteen fifties. Hulk Hogan and other heirs to George Wagner's legacy have become celebrities in their own right. While the money has changed, the top deputy performers currently pulled down up to ten million dollars annually, the entertainment remains essentially unchanged. As for why wrestling, with its emphasis on good guys versus villains, has become such a happening, the

explanations vary. Well, you know, people want to be entertained, you know, they want to be grabbed, They want to have that two or three hours that is real high energy, says Basil DeVito, the w executive. I think that's what we provide, and I think that's the kind of entertainment for the eighties says Tom Shells, the Washington Post Pulitzer Prize winning TV critic. It's like Morton Downey, only actions and awards. Now. TV

is a medium that seems to thrive on simplistics. You know. That's probably why Ronald Reagan was elected president, you know, and many be why wrestling has become so popular at the same time when even the academic community is wrestling with the wrestling question. Well, and wrestling presents the confort of good and evil and extremely simplistic stereotype terms, says Gerald Morton, English professor at Auburn

University who has written extensively about pro wrestling. The good guy you recognize immediately, or if you see an Arab you know he's a bad guy. In a country that would buy Ronald Reagan and his simplistic view of international and national affairs, that country is going to buy and enjoy wrestling. Searing societal commentary there in this article. Maybe I need to find the works of Gerald Morton. I think that's exactly correct. I wonder if he's around, we'll have

him on the show. The wrestling question, by the way, is how can all these people watch this one? It's fake, that's exactly right, very simple. Why are all these people being hoodwinked? Absolutely this piece in

CBN, this piece and electronic media. It's about the CBN cable network, Christian Broadcasting Network losing ground in the cable ratings from May eighty eight does get a lot more into what's happening elsewhere in the industry, and this gives us also helpful orientation around the positioning of TBS and Crockett's platform, of course, and WWF and USA Superstation. TBS REMA regained rather it's traditional first place status

in primetime. So let's not forget superstation is doing well enough at this time. It's not just it's not like croct's declining fortunes are harming TBS's position to the cable marketplace. Excuse me for one second. Wrestling to rassling ain't sport to American Spectrumle fucking hell is that? Gerald Morton. It's a book. It's a book. It's a book, and the tradition continues today where it's like I'm gonna write a book, but I'm gonna I'm gonna mention the president

too. So it's about American I want I want to talk about kind of the capitalism, you know, that's the thing about it. And wrestling is a sport that that transcends really the the the the and in many ways it reflects the rise of Americas, the current world power that it is. And I believe that say something about late stage capitalism too, I believe, you know, I mean, and it exemplifies late stage capitalism in a way that

I think very few other other other un businesses and industries do. And I see, no, you don't have my respect because you haven't named an academic that's written on wrestling before quite yet. Well you don't need to, because I'm Gerald Morton unwrestling before you that made cultural commentary. Well, I mean,

let's be honest. I mean, if we're going to if you want to talk about other intellectuals, we can go as far back as Bath I mean, and you know, I mean it was examples of postmodernity for that matter. And you know, and Bath was was a colleague of such other do you know, post Medonists and in the early Ageans Bracton, you know, so many others. And really what pro wrestling is is a reflection of society, yep, of sociological examination. You know, it's just there's a

Republican in the White House. It's because of pro wrestling. I got it. Okay, that's right. I mean, that's the This is not say yet. Yeah, it's it's. It's it's it's it's it's what we are. It's what we are and who we are and where we are and how we are. Thank you, professor. We moving on now. Superstation TBS regained its traditional first place status in primetime after being temporarily unseated in the fourth quarter of nineteen eighty seven, of course, by ESPN and it's skyrocketing National

Football League telecast results at both the twenty four hour. In primetime periods, TBS gained point four points over the first quarter of ninety eighty seven. Primetime viewing stood at three point one, while total day registered a two. The superstation also gained two hundred thousand households in both periods, with a total of one point four million in primetime at eight hundred and sixty four thousand for total

day. Those ratings increases were larger than any commercial cablecaster experienced in the quarter, and they resulted in TBS's highest ever audience count. That's particularly good new

for the channel. Which got Spody results in nineteen eighty seven. USA Network moved from fourth to second place in total day results compared with the same period last year, increasing it's twenty four hour ratings by zero point one point to a one and it's households by more than seventy thousand to a total of four hundred and nine thousand. USA moved to third place from fourth in primetime with a point three point gain to a one point six and almost a two hundred

thousand household increase to six hundred and ninety four thousand. So that's on the increase. Of course, it's so much on the down slide. It's ridiculous. So many people are dropping cable. But no, that's important. Hey, you know what you know listen, I'm just I'm gonna cut the cord, cool man. So how much you can pay by the time you pay for internet without discounted bund cable, you don't even need you listen. I don't need cable, Okay, I don't need to have YouTube TV three hundred

dollars a year. Listen. All I gotta do is listen. All If all I pay for is YouTube TV and Roku TV and Hulu, you know, if I get all the packages on Hulu and I get a Disney Plus, like at Paramount Plus, I get Peacock, I get um, you know, a Netflix, Amazon Prime, seventy dollars a year, I got, you know, all these things. I'm saving money. I'm only spending five million dollars a year. About when the ESPN goes Oh how about your

local sports? Are you a Boston fan? Do you got to pay thirty dollars a month to watch all the Red Sox games without a cable subscription we're getting Actually, it might be more expensive than cable. I think it is. Honestly, when it comes, when push comes to shove, I believe that. I believe that because like, what is the the Hulu package alone? Yeah, I don't even the highest Hulu package where you get everything including live TV, is like eighty dollars a month. Yeah, get Sunday ticket

for you. But as it goes to YouTube, good luck but you, but you also don't get right, you don't get anything that doesn't include Netflix, that doesn't include uh, Peacock, it doesn't include all those other things. And that's only the Disney stuff. It's almost like they're gonna get their money either way. It's almost like you've been hoodwinked. Yes, yes, but but cable campy is good because it's not an app. But I don't

know. But I cut the cord. Are called horn the cord. Don't forget even though you cut the cord, when the baby comes out, that's still your mom for the rest of your life. Okay, I make the cord. I am the cord. I am Rick McCord aka Austin Idol. So let's not forget. You know what we're talking about Crocket for stef. We're also talking about a battle between these plumber excuse me, James McCord.

White House Plumber has Plumer. It's important for audience members to know. I think sometimes that the way that the signal comes across, like when one of us is talking, the other one can't always tell the others talking. So I'm like talking about TBS verus USA, and then I hear White House Plumber old context whatsoever. So we deal with it and you will have to deal with it as well. That's right. So yeah, it's not just Crockett

vers WWF. It's USA versus TBS, and this is a big stage model and they both need wrestling so badly to compete so bad, either loses wrestling

the other one runs away with the fucking day. And that's always been the case on cable as long as cable has existed, from MTV using wrestling in eighty four to TBS starting and you know with Turner and seventy two, all the way through to it becoming superstationed with Georgia Championship Wrestling, Vince being with USA back when it was the MSG network on through to All American Wrestling in eighty three. Give me a fucking break, folks, Fucking Southwest Championship US

on USA. Very simple. Pro wrestling is cable exactly Cable link shit without pro wrestling never has been a definitely isn't today. January was a particularly good month for USA, according to Ray Jacobelle, the network's senior search channelist. Most significant, he said, it's the eight point two rating garnered by the

WWF Royal Rumble Wrestling special on January twenty fourth. So here's an industry piece that's just about the battle between the two major basic cable stations in the country, and they have to mention that it's pretty much wrestling that explains these returns. USA also benefited from the strong debut of The Tales of the Gold Monkey, Never Heard Of It, which shared on ABCTV in eighty two and eighty

three. The programming was USA's third highest rated series, with an average two point six rating or one point one million households in the six pm Eastern time slot. Nothing much was new at CNN and CNN Headline News, Etc. Primetime news stations, ESPN Primetime Okay, Nashville Networks who were going to Lifetime, and Nick at Knight in Discovery Channel A and E. These were all in play back then, but suffice to say the Royal Rumble earning a mention

and Superstation TBS doing pretty strongly as well. But again the Rumble is just so, what's the word I'm looking for? Conspicuous In the top cable rankings for the week and the month, and the quarter and the year for USA, that's it's definitely worth talking about when covering this show in and of itself. This is a list that eventually comes out in the press top fifty basic

cable programs for the first quarter of nineteen eighty eight. Number two on all of cable is The Royal Rumble. Wow ol, second only to the Pro Bowl from the NFL in February, which did inn eight point five. I'm here to tell you that the Royal Rumble in nineteen eighty eight did a significantly higher cable rating than the NBA All Star Game Clash of the Champions on TBS, which again went head to head with the Rumble. Pardon Me, Wrestle

ninety four was number five. Number four was the Sackets playing on TBS. A movie Operation Petticoat on TBS was sixth, and um, March Madness Basketball underneath that, so higher than March Madness Basketball, higher than the NBA All Star Game, The Rumble, That's insane. Even a repeat of the Rumble, which aired on Monday Night from eight to eleven PM, was the thirteenth highest ranked show of the quarter on cable. Um Man, look at these

look at these movies? Sons of Katie elder Man who loved cat dancing, Paint your Wagon, No time for Sergeant's Big Jake? Did these ring a bell for you at all? Um? Yeah? I know some of them. A little bit death wish too. Once upon a Time in the West, Lash of the Titans. That's all. The Top twenty is like Once upon the West the cinema serious is a wrestler, Yes, yes there is. Oh fucking hell, our good, good power Woody Strode. That's awesome. I get down to seventeen, we get you know, Saturday six oh

five WCW on TBS at a four point seven. Wow. Andy Griffith on TBS. Flintstones on TBS. TBS was so dominant Man Logan's run movie Flinstones were big hits for them in the morning on Sunday shirts. Absolutely. Did you remember watching Flintstones on Sunday mornings? I don't remember that being um, yeah I did. I think I did four point three ratings from nine oh

five to nine thirty five AM. Wow. Primetime Wrestling all the way down at number thirty three on USA Network at a four point three, but again beating NBA games Boston, Chicago no less on TBS. And this is a time when, unless I'm mistaken, um, live sports from the big leagues on cable we're much more rare. Yeah, so you know, if you're not telling they're not beating the game of the week on fucking you know NBC or ABC by any stretch. But they're doing better than the major sports on

cable, and that's that is remarkable. So this, this Royal Rumble is very significant in the TV business. It's just not so significant WWF's business, right, that'sn't that weird? It really? First thing to consider how much this all became a ratings game later Yep, yep. Here nobody really cares. But for USA, rushing ads like this onto the air for this Royal Rumble was obviously worth it. Style. Let me take the match designed exactly

to me join us later tonight right here on the USA network. That's the best they could come up with. That's so crazy a short turn around time. Bam BAM's not in it. I was looking like hell for any hint that they were going to make Bam Bam win the Rumble because when I saw that article about the bunk house battle, and I was thinking about where Bam Bam was positioned. But I think by now they'd already gotten word that he

was going to just pict you for a while with the knee injuries. Yeah, but I think if he you know, if the eighty seven Survivor series is any indication, if he didn't come up with bad knees, he probably would have won this first Rumble because they weren't you know, they weren't all

about Duggin yet. They just kind of hesitatingly, as we'll talk about later, welcomed him back into the fold after firing him over the Irishik arrest in New Jersey, when, according to Duggan, at least, he starts making entreaties to Dusty and Crockett to make the jump and they're like, well, well, well hope you know, never doesn't mean never, Jim, I mean, come on, right, but what is it people turning out? Why are these people watching on television? Why do these kids love wrestling?

And why do these kids love Jim Duggan boss? That's really the question that in so many ways, the nineteen eighty eight Royal Rumble presents us with, and we're headed up to Ontario. You think the Toronto Star might have any answers for us? I would imagine that they do. Turn to the March twenty seventh edition of nineteen eighty eight headline why do kids love wrestling? Ho ho, quickly becoming the famous battle cry in the circles of professional wrestling.

He saw Jim Duggan, who carries a plank of two by four Wood when he wrestles, has made the saying famous. What's the big attraction for kids and why do they love wrestlers like ha Saw Duggan. After starting his professional career eleven years ago as a bad guy, the thirty four year old Duggan said he has pleased the way his life as a good guy is going.

Besides being known for carrying his piece of lumber, Duggan has hoed his way to start him except that that is a universal Douggan says, a lot of kids like me because all they have to do to show support for me is yll Garry Sue Ay, a twelve year old student at Saint Thomas Aquinas, agrees, I like the way he goes home. It's easy to do. He's my favorite wrestler. We introduce you to a guy named Santa. You

love him really and I think he should be the next world champion. Yes, I watch him on TV all the time, adds nine year old Tanya weather All, the student at Blake Street Public School. He doesn't back down for anybody. He deserves the people's help. I think he's funny. I'm a great guy, says John Moses, eight, a student at Rodan Public school, other children like the bearded You know this could be said too, like other children like like the bearded Duggan. Other children like the bearded Duggan

because of his looks. Veronica Brooks of Earl Gray Public School thinks Duggan is quote cute, he's a hillbilly and I don't really like him. He's got a lot of moves and the other guys are scared of him. Imagine they take a guy from Glen's Falls, New York and make people think he's a hillbilly. Right, but let's not forget like Vince like told him to cross his eyes and act like Eugene in the beginning. You got you gotta act like a like a fucking idiot after coming out of Mid South. It's like

the baddest ass, fucking former pro football brawler of the business. And I want I want you to be a goofball one thing we're missing chromosome here right all right? I want you to act like you don't have it all in your head. And hey, Veronica, you go to Earl Gray Public High School. That's a public school. Funny, I went to English Breakfast public

school. You know. I went to Lodge Regular Public school all right, But Garth Waterson fourteen thinks Duggan's popular because, you know, because he doesn't really have a gammac. The Earl Gray Public School student thinks Doug into the fan in favor because he's different from others. He's not like most most men. Yeah, it's like most girls. Yeah, some wrestlers props are less desirable. Jake the Snake Roberts brings a live boa constructed into the ring,

while the Honky talk Man carries a guitar. Duggan's fame has grown since breaking into the world lessing entertainment last year. Today, he will be one of the fourteen wrestlers trying to become the World Heavyweight Champion at the w WWE at WrestleMania four in Atlantic City. Duggan said, there's a good reason why kids love him. A lot of kids wire a late Martin me, and they do some of the other wrestlers because they see me that's more of a role

model. I'm just like one of them, and I'm eye for an eye kind of guy. I can't believe they got the story published with Neria mention of his marijuana arrest, like national news. Yeah. After playing college ball at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He had a brief tryout as an offensive guard with the Toronto Argonauts, and Duggan likes kids. He has worked with handicapped children and the Special Olympics. There's one thing for certain, kids of

all ages are hoping Duggan continues to win his matches. Truly amazing. So there's an article there in Toronto's Star, not far from the locus of nineteen eighty eight Royal Rumble there in Hamilton, Ontario, climenting on the cultural resonance, if you will, of Hacksaw Jim Duggan at the time here of winning an eighty eight Pretchard said that Morocco and Jake Roberts were also considered as potential

winners of the nineteen eighty eight Royal Rumble. Really yep, But Duggan they felt like was the biggest star that needed a boost and this was the opportunity to do that. I guess I always thought of See, you know, I understand what you're saying about how Duggan was a certain type of character in mid South, but it's it's really hard to think of him as anything less or anything more than what he was in nineteen ninety two, right, And

I can't get I just can never picture him being anything remotely money. He's just a dufus. Yeah, well that's exactly how Vince cast him. And that's kind of part of the frustration that Dusty was screaming about in that clip we played twice before. It's like, you take these guys that meant something in a bit in a presentation that takes it very seriously, You're turning it in a cartoon. You know, You're you're sort of putting your creation on

top of a guy that actually meant something to wrestling fans. You think of you know, big boss Man is gonna be Big bubb is gonna come boss Man, Tibiasse became an eight dollar man, etc. Well, uh, where what are you paying them? Exactly? I think it's pretty damn cool, pal, that I can that I have so much money that I can make them dress up however I want, across their eyes, however I want them to cross their eyes. I'll tell you what, Pal, I'm gonna

pay people so much money they're gonna kiss my ass. Let me ask you a question, Dusty, do you think you're above this? Do you think you're above doing what I tell you to do in response to my check book, Dusty above wearing what I tell you to wear. Dusty, do you think you're immune to cleaning my toilets and wiping the ship from my ass? I can tell you you're not immune. Yeah, nobody is immune. And you w the dig inside my anus for every last piece of the ship that

comes out of it. Let me ask you, bosses Axe Jim Dugan remember winning the first televised royal rumble is a big I'm sure no, no, I'm sure he doesn't remember his big deal. I'm sure doesn't remember it at all. He is to Hannibal. Yeah, thing about the whole arrested with me in the Iron Cheek is a false think he and the sheet, Yeah, I should have made clear they start with the nineteen eighty seven arrest of Yes Duggan in the Iron Sheet. This is um a pretty famous case.

We'll get into it in a bit more. I think they were in the Jersey Turnpike to get pulled over. Dug in U has marijuana on his person. He confesses that to the cop. She has cocaine. Of course, the bigger story here is that on television these two our enemies, right. Oh yeah, fuck the drugs they're breaking cafe brother. Yeah. The worst thing about that who arrest with me and the iron Chekas That folks think he

and the chiker friends and we're not friends. I gave the guy a ride one day, you know, and a long story short, guy head said marijuana and my seat and we were drinking beers and the drooper pulled us over. And it was in the eighties, you know. I wasn't drunk. I was just sipping on a beer. So I was surprised I got pulled over. He's like, he can't do that. I'm like in New Jersey. I'm like, I loved in Louisiana. I'm sorry, So I gotta give me a ticket for that. And he said, well, he spelled

the marijuana. He said, you got any marijuana? He said, you got anything else you want to tell me about. I figured out I was going to search the car anyway. I said, yes, sir, I got a small amount of marijuana under my seat, you know. And of course boom Me hooked me right up and locked me up and put the cuffs on me, and then he pulled the she go out of the car. And she got three grams of cocaine. So it was a huge arrest, you know, she got to go in front of a judge and everything.

But we still made the show that night. And after the show we went home and I called my wife. I said, you know, to the hotel. I said, we got arrested. But I don't think anybody knows. She calls to me the next day she goes, everybody knows. So my first call to was my dad, God bless him, and he chewed me out a little bit, but my family really rallied behind me. And my second call was the Vince McMahon. And never before have I got so through so quickly with Vince. And uh, you know, Vince, I

remember verbatim. He goes, Jim, what have you done to us? And I said, Vincent Barrison and shame and whatever you do, I understand. He says, we'll turn in your tickets and go home because us to have a big stack of airplane tickets. And he can me and it looked like it was the end of my career at w w F or E at that time, and my buddy Jake the Snake trying to smooth it over, but he called me said you're screwed, and so I was like, well,

that's what I called Dusty down to WCW. I said a meeting up to go down and see Dusty. And before I got there, WWE called me back up and said just lay low, we're going to bring it home, bring it back. But I never regained the big push I was getting. You know, they always kept me kind of strong, but they never put the heavy gas on me. So it was really hamstring my career. Do you think you may have had like an ultimate ware style push if that

incident hadn't occurred. Well, I don't know about ultimate water style push, but I think they were kind of grooming me for a championship for a while. You know, who knows which one, especially in the beginning when I first came up that people were with me, you know, WrestleMania three. I had a big party. I mean I actually went from the penthouse to the ship house and one deal and I was lucky to survive that arrest. I think I would have killed a lot of guy's careers. Ended up winning

the very first Royal Rumbell. So I had that come about in our youth shot that the Royal Rumble has gone on to become one of the WWE market margary events. Yeah. Well, you know, back in the day that we were running the day after day, I was fifty four days straight without a day off. So we did the Royal Rumble Boom. It was a great show, and I knew it was a big push for me, a

big feather in my camp. But the next day was another show, so we loaded up and went to the But I don't think anybody realized that the Royal Rumble would become one of the top four pay per views, or that WWE would become the huge worldwide powerhouse that it is. You know, I always joke with the NFL guys at Major League Baseball and the World champions Where in the world have you guys been? You know, in my thirty six years wrestling, I wrestled in every state and union, every providence in Canada

and thirty different countries. It's amazing to the appeal of professional wrestling around the world. So yeah, he has great memories of that night. Yeah right, yep. Notice how he said the biggest problem with the Art and Cheek Arrest was that people thought we were friends. And yes, yes, I do think he put it to RF video several years before that interview. Were they friends or were they not? Let's see, Jim oh boy. Well, actually the Sheik and I were very good friends. And we flew into

Newark, a territory. And I'm not you know, I was over eighteen, so I can't put no heat on nobody but myself. But the she said, maybe I have no credit card and maybe I ride with you to town. I'm sure she could have ride me my head a little weed, you know. Of course, back then Bill Clinton was smoking the wheats you big in the early eighties there or min eighties. And I was drinking a beer, which is rare because I really drank pot. But the sheet drank

Saint Poly girls. And he's stopping he Paly girls. As we're going down the Garden State Parkway. The cops saw me put this his drinking the beer, and he pulled us all was trooper smelled the weed, pulled me out of the car so that the others, maybe four or five dubies under the seat boom bought me for possession of marijuana and drinking. My driving searches. She had three grams of cocaine on him, so of course, the next day in the New York Daily News is boozing bozos, you know, coke,

marijuana and booze on the Guarden State Parkway. It was a huge story. Of course. I never recuperated professionally from that deal, but didn't kill myself neither, you know, you know, Vince, the first time I ever got through the vents so quick in my life, because you know, we got popped and we're on our way to Asbury Park. Of course we that night she said we wouldn't work, you know, And I called my wife and said, I don't know if anybody will find out about it.

Of course she called me the next night says everybody knows. And of course my first call wasn't And my dad, who was chief of police wins Falls at the time, and you know, he said, you get arrested for cocaine? I said, noah, pop, I got arrested for marijuana. He said, well, I knew that gets you in trouble sooner or later, because I know you smoked that stuff once in a while. And yes,

sir, you know, but he was. My family was very very supportive throughout that, and my dad took a lot of eat because I lived in Louisiana. Then I went home. I didn't answer my phone. Boom. My family up in New York just got bombarded with PRESSED. So I went through a very hard time with it. And of course the chic I think he got a felony arrest for three grams and the separate containers, and of course it was a big schmas And this is the Hillbilly Jim story we

were talking about earlier. So I called Vince. You know the next thing, I called my pop and you know, my Pope give me a choose my butt a little bit and it gives me support. My next call was Vince. I never been through to Vince. I quick in my life. I call up as to Jim Jogum for Vincent man. Hold on, boom, boomp Jim, and I said this, sir, he says, I remember verbatim what he says. He says, Jim, what have you done to us? I said, Vince, I'm embarrassed and ashamed. And then

anything you do I understand. He says, turn your airplane tickets in and go home boat or the phonos. And I turned my tickets in, it went home, and that night or two later he hit a big meeting somewhere, and he pounded the table. Dug in cheek, will never ever work for the WWF again. So Jake called me that night, says, Jim,

who you might have screwed up? There? Those sound good? So I waited like a week or two when I called Dusty at the NWA or whatever it was that there in the you know, Georgia deal turner and as a negotiating with Dusty, Bruce Pritchard called me, says, just way to lay low for a little while. So I laid low for you know,

like three months, and they brought me back. So we're all in the dressing room one night and hill Billy Jim goes, you know that vencement man, he lied to all of us. You're sending one higher Duggan cheek, and are Dugan soon right there? Billy? Can I talk to you the bathroom fuel? Please? A garbage Duggan? Wow? So are your friends or not? Jim A yeah? And it wasn't boozing Bozos. I got it right here in New York Gilly News, May twenty eighth, nineteen eighty

seven. Brownie Bozos, it says, thank you very much, Ronnie Bozos that's great pictures of dug In and chic throne for loss. Two wrestlers face New Jersey shirts. That's a shirt. I'll say this whole Bozos. That's fucking great, Ronnie Bozos. Um, the article is a throne for loss.

Two wrestlers face New Jersey drug raps. Two professional wrestlers who took a fall for drug possession were freed on bail to grapple with each other in a brone crushing chair smashing tag team bout and her schedule to grapple with the New Jersey court system on Monday axed Jim doug In thirty three, a traditional American good guy fucking grapple with the you know, worse camp and Hossein the Aron Cheek FAZII forty five and intie American maps Set Heavy, who allegedly hils from

Iran, allegedly were arrested for marijuana and cocaine. Both were immediately the most truthful thing about him Actually, yeah, no, exactly, Like, why would you doubt that he's from Iran? Exactly? Both were immediately suspended by the World Wrestling Federation. Yeah, it's important. Remember Duggan's father was a police chief at the time right. A trooper pulled him over on the Garden State Parkway at two forty pm Tuesday when he noticed Duggan swinging beer while driving

toward Asbury Park for about at the convention Hall. As he was checking Duggan's license, the trooper noticed the smell of burnt marijuana from the direction of the other man, said Sergeant John Cavalery of the Homdale Barracks. Cops said they found several partially smoked marijuana joints in the cars ashtray, three grams of cocaine and the Cheek's shaving kit kfebe, and a small quantity of mar wanna in a bag belonging to Duggan. Duggan was given summons is for drinking while driving

and for possession of marijuana. The Sheik was released on five thousand dollars bail. They were scheduled to pier Middletown Court Monday. After their release, the wrestlers continue to Asbury Park for a tag team match that pitted Cheek and Knpetera against Taxaw and Nikolai Volkova. Saw one after breaking a total of four chairs over the Sheik's Turban. Turban never wore a fucking turban. It's not a

turban. That's fine. Um, it's just if it's an Arab headdress, it's a turban to some I've noticed, what did he wear a head I've never seen Oh yeah, he right, he wears the right were they? I believe it's pronounced cafe. I could yes, mispronouncing that, Yes, cafe turban is what a seaquares like high. It's that, right, exactly. It's the whole. It's a it's the cloth that's kind of I don't know how it's kind of it's done in a certain way. It's elevated,

it's like a right, it's like the Pope's hat almost right. Um, But anyway, that's uh, that's the fun part of it, right, as they went from this arrest to wrestle each other in the garden because it's fake, yeah, um, or Asbury Park wherever the match was. So that's uh, that's dug in. And to hear him tell it that not happened. Um. He might have already been bigger than winning the rumble by this point, but this is him coming back after, you know, threatening

to go to Crockett. And as we've well documented, the last thing Vince wants is to be perceived as losing a single asset to Jim Crockett at this point in time. And don't duggan. Um listen, uh listen, you don't what It's all good? I mean, you know we we you know, I'll tell you what I um, Jim, I overread Jim. Pal, come on, let me tell you something, Pal. You know what listen, I know the last time we talked, I said, what have you done to us? You don't understand what I meant by that? I

said, you know, he wasn't like what have you done? It's like, what have you done to us? What have you done for us? And you you have to have helped skyrocket the WWE Internet and IDI eight right, you you know you gave us. You know, listen, you know what they say? You know no, nope, no press is bad press, right, And that's the same. And if you the thing is, I can't believe you thought I was being negative. I mean I'm sorry if that. If that's the case, I apologize you and I have always been

good. Pal. You know, I go way back and we're gonna go way forward. Right. I'm gonna tell you what something right, now you and I are gonna go to Canada and you're gonna win the Royal Rumble. What have you done to us? Well, Pal, I would suggest are you going somewhere with that? Or oh and there's a lot more to be done. So, Jim, how much doesn't mean to you to win the rumble? Uh? One of winning the first round rumble back in eighty eight? Yeah, it didn't. I mean, it didn't mean a lot of

question. It was just another night's work. Didn't realize the significance of it at that point. Quarter back then he did to show that night in Urine didn't mean nothing. The next night, it was just another night at work. Yeah, we did all kind of just blurred together or blurred together. Yeah, thanks for answering the question for me. Blurred I'm sure, I'm sure a lot of things are blurred together for a fucking Jim Duggan didn't mean

anything. It's basically what he just said. Yeah, yeah, exactly, that's what he said. Doesn't mean anything. Now, the difference you notice kind of a difference in tone between the Hannibal answer and that answer. They're the same in substance, but there are a video interview. It's important to

remembers. It's back when you know, he was coming off WCW closing and he was kind of still a little salty about not how a place in the business, and still he could contribute, and he's got to play down, right, he's played down in his mind the significance of what he's done in WWF because he's still a businessman looking at brighter and he's not back in their graces with like a Legends contract and basically like a paid mascot from the company.

But later on it's like, oh, you know it's at the time it wasn't but it's been so great. No, I'm gonna be in the Rumble again. And back then he was just like, noun didn't mean anything. That's the real Jim. That's exactly, thank you, exactly drive through. As for Vince going back on his word, we're gonna hear more from this guy as we get into the deep dive of the nineteen eighty eight Royal

Rumble Show because he's in the closing tag match. But I'm here to let you know Boss that I think Paul Roma is our hardcore Hollie of the nineteen eighties. Wow this guy and shoot interview formats doesn't fuck around. Yes, this is a guy we need. This is a guy who did not grow up a fan of the wrestling business, was recruited into it and had all of the assets they were looking for, so got a quick push and therefore had a chip on his shoulder who had a background such where he wasn't going

to be disrespected. Everything was a perceived slight and he's the kind of guy that we want and wrestling, the kind of guy who's going to say go fuck yourself to someone's face. Yes, yes, and when asked by our very video and a great shoot interview that I'd highly recommend about the reaction in the locker room to Hax saw Jim Duggan returning to the w WF so shortly after Vince, you know, acted so betrayed by what happened in this New

Jersey arrest. Paul Romo puts it quite clearly here. Vince came out and basically said that they're both done, they'll never work again. And then a few months later, when it blew over, Vince brought him back, and people just when I tell you, if they had any respect for Vince, it was gone after that because all he talked about in the locker room was you know, oh yeah, you guys are done. Hey, you'll never work in his business again. Hey, looked they're back, you know.

And that was the big joke in the locker room. Vince was a joke. So awesome. Wow, a guy who's not afraid to say Vince was a joke. I love it. I fucking love it. Paul Roma doesn't give a fun I think I think Paul Roma is a fucking I mean, I've heard it. I've heard a couple of interviews that he's done, like he did Steve Austin's show years ago, and I, you know, don't listen. I stand by. I'm a Paul Roma guy. Yep. Yeah,

for sure. Yeah, He's definitely one of those guys that, like anything you can say about like how he never lived up to his potential or anything, it's because he doesn't give a fuck, that's why. It's because he doesn't give a fuck in a business where everybody is trying to master the art of kissing ass. The second he feels like he's got a kiss ass, he lashes out and makes any Yes, yep, that's my kind of

guy. Yep. X U Jim Duggan in his book, doesn't really tell much more of a flowery story about winning the Rumble, but has a bit more detail. It was while the way wrestling evolved, he writes, from a regional attraction to this big national powerhouse. On Thanksgiving Night at nineteen eighty seven, I was in the first match in the Survivor series pay per view, and it didn't really register with me at the time how the business was

changing and going to this pay per view business model. All I knew was that it was an extra good payday. I never did think it would become the big worldwide thing that Vince has groaned it into with all these huge venues and shows. When I was in San Antonio, we would have looked at a crowd of ten thousand and thought, Wow, this must be the biggest show ever. Now the ww guys see a crowd of ten thousand and say

where the hell is everybody? Meanwhile, that same Thanksgiving night, Crockett's NBA was running its first pay per view, but Vince aced him out of most of his pay per view clearances with the big cable companies. Vince never mentioned the NWA or anything they were doing to the boys. We never really gave them any thought. They were doing their best, but Vince was just crushing them. I never liked Crockett because he had been rude to my dad.

There was some function we went to early in the eighties and I had my dad with me. I introduced my dad to Crockett and he just brushed us off. I'm sure Crockett doesn't even remember it, but to me, that was a big deal. He's lucky I didn't punch him in the nose. Hey, Jim, this is my dad. Okay, Jim, it's great. Jesus, you'd get out of here. This is my dad. Okay, are you grown man? Why? He might not even have realized what he had done, but it always stuck in my craw, Jim wrote about

two months later, after Survivor should probably stuck in his craw. Every Rumble since has been a pay per view, but that first show was a free special in the USA Network, airing January twenty fourth, nineteen eighty eight, which, by complete coincidence I'm sure was the night of Crockett's second pay per

view. The Rumble was a twenty man battle Royal, but with a guy coming in every two minutes, instead of everyone starting in the ring at once as in a regular Battle Royal. The novelty of it reminded me of a match Watts had done in Mid South, the Blindfold Battle Royal. That one was a lot of fun because we were wearing full hoods and can barely see it sounds good, great time. They drove people nuts because the ending would be something like this. The last three guys would be me, Ricky Morton,

and Hercules. The fans love Rookie and Me, but hated Hercules. It was a baby face. I'd point toward Hercules the heel and the fans were cheer, so I'd walk toward him, but he'd start off in another direction and we'd missed each other. We'd go back and forth until at some point Rickie would walk in between us and I'd grab Rookie and beat the hell out of him while the fans were screaming at the tops of their lungs. It's Rickie hacksots and the rumble was fun too. Yeah, I can tell

somebody colorful. Sorry, now let me tell you how much the rumble meant to me. This is how we did blindfold rumbles, and Mid South didn't fucking care, he writes. The crowd really got into it, and the end came down to me and my old friend one man Gang. When I tossed him to win, the place really popped, which made me feel good to get such a warm reception in Canada, where the show was held.

Even though I was best known for being one hundred pound pardon me, one hundred percent American patriot pounds, no one cares last about winning the nineteen eighty eight Royal Rumble. Then Jim dug indes seriously, Jim was in the two thousand nine Rumble. Remember they burn him back. No, I don't remember that at all. I'm ended by big show. So around the time, he was asking a lot of press interviews about his memories of winning the first

Rumble. It was around this time and he was trying to bank another Rumble appearance for future years. That was as a payday. Remember Nash was chasing that. He was like campaign in for another Rumble spot a long ago something.

Yeah, they decided to go for every couple of years. She ended up pleading innocent to the charges in the nineteen eighty seven arrest and and said the following This is from the Daily registered newspaper runching second at eighty seven in New Jersey, where they covered his core proceeding, which was telegraphed there in the New York Daily News article. Walking across the parking lot to court, Fazzeri clutched an iron cheeked doll from Matthew viad four of Port Monmouth and kissed

the youngster on the forehead. I hope you get off, and Matthew's mother, Karen says, oh he will. Yeah, it's up to you. Karen. As iron Cheek signed the autograph, I know you didn't do it. Iron Cheeks said he flew into Newark International hours before the bout, but he said he had misplaced his driver's license and had no way to reach convention Hall. I don't like him, I never have. I hate him, iron Cheek said, and broken English, referring to Duggan. I think maybe

he did it on purpose. Yes, he put that cocaine in my gimmick. That's an old Fritz trick, remember, And maybe with the free birds planted the drunk on my boys. Oh my god, what a fucking she continued. Somehow, some way, I'll get him, whether it's in a ring or not. Um, he said, despite his lawyer Sherman's advice to fend off the question. This is a court of law. Sherman, mister, I think it's best if we just come on Michael Sherman's I think it's

best if we don't mention that they they listen. I think less is more, Okay, I think less is more in a situation among this, I think we have uh, you know, the proper you know, you just just don't don't speak, Just don't speak, all right. I I I fear for you. Oh that's a lawyer. I want, Michael Owner. I fear for you. I fear for you, and I, uh please, just mister cheek. I just think that the best thing we can do

is is, um is, just let me. Let me handle the talking as Chik is going on trying to make a promo out of this whole case, your honor. I uh, he's not my client. Yeah, that's probably next. But what he said first is this is a court of law. Let's not associate the charges in wrestling. It's an insult to the court.

We don't need to listen. It's it's it's we we don't need to to to, you know, bring out the illegitimacies of wrestling and the phoniness and the buffoonery of wrestling, when we can discuss the fact that they have legal proceedings that are real, Paul in world, Paul, my understanding decion, Chike's got an arrangement today? Is that right? Yes? Strikes strikes me as an opportunity, Paul, uh for what why were these two in

the car together? If it's supposed to be real, these two are supposed to be hating each other while we're in the cart again, I want you to run up on Chic in the pocket a lot after the arrangement, and I want you to ask him this question, why are we in the car together? You're right? Are you? Do you watch this? This is something that you ask forward to the article asked why the two traveled in one car. The lawyer paused and sayd car pooling. Yeah, listen, we've

all we've all had to give rides to people that we don't like. You know, we've all had to give rides to you know, the enemy, so to speak. And yes, very familiar with that dynamic. I mean think about it like this, you know, imagine if you know you live in the same apartment complex, as as as someone you work with but you're not very fond of them, and they say, hey, I'm sorry to do this, but I don't my cars broke down, I could use a

ride to work. What are you gonna do. You're gonna just leave them, let them, let them get fought, potentially fired or not, you know, showing up. But no, of course not. You're going to be a human being. You're going to be unfairness. If he's friends with she can he gave me two different answers in the space of two different minutes. So um, well you know, um the thing about the sometimes the she gets confused. Yeah, uh, you know, I I wouldn't.

Maybe I think that maybe they're French. They have they have adopted a friendship because of the of the car ride. But are were they friends at the time? No? Are they friends now? Uh, we're not. I have no comment about that at this time. Uh. I can tell you that that that that we're all very very upset about this tragic event, and that we can just hope that we all hope that we can um recover and move forward with our day to day lives. And we want to begin the

process of healing from this arrest. Jim, what have you done to us? Can you picture of Vincent eighty eighty seven saying something like that, shive done? Damnas, Jim, what us done to us? What's us? Give me a break? You've you've destroyed the business. You have destroyed k fabe idiot carpooling. They travel so much. It's not whether they're good guys are bad guys, Chicke's lawyer says. Sherman said his client understands the seriousness

of the charges and his indefinite suspension from the Federation. We know that they're serious charges. That's why he's not commenting on that. He said, he's so much shy about the whole situation. Sherman said he had no other comment except to add, we're not going to try this before the news cameras, where sure justice will prevail. Weber the de Wintive spoken and said Thursday have suspended the wrestlers while it conducts its own investigation. Permanent suspensions are a very

distinct possibility. I just don't know right now what the chances are. He said. Federation authorities will review the arrest separately because of the differences in the charges. He added during a suspension, Vizier said he would continue working with young wrestlers in Georgia. Volkov, Webber said, was not involved in the incident. Earned Chik and Volkov won the Federation at tag titles. Okay,

blah blah blah. So well, at least they didn't handle it like they did, mister Michael Sherman, Right, mister, let's not turn this into a wrestling angle, and let's not insult the court. This wasn't the first time Cheky baby got the cuffs put on him while under employee of Vince Jamers Titan. You got arrested h for hitting somebody in Bridgeport, Connecticut in nineteen eighty five, a gas station attendant, and this same exact lawyer. Mister,

you know above the fray of making this into wrestling hijinks. You know, I think we're above this, of showing up on promo day with the WWF logo in the background and asking the roster to offer testimonials as to the character of this man causro ZERI, oh my god, and it survives on YouTube check it out. All right, we are we are going to do I need quiet, please, all right, ladies and gentlemen. This is a very special presentation and I need quiet please, Oh my god, what

an idiot. Ladies and gentlemen. This is a very special presentation. This is a presentation that is designed and geared to help benefit the Iron Sheik in his cause. Thank you very much. All Right, you may look anytime. I'm gonna roll. I'm gonna give you find. Okay, are we righting? Here we go? Five? Four three, Thank you one, Thank you very much. We're here today to talk about the Sheik. Uh, your honor is well aware that the Chik has been charged with the salt

and the third degree in Bridgeport, Connecticut. We've got some people here who know the Sheik, who work with the Sheik, and who think very well. Often right, he's good, he's honesty steaks. But God bless you to thank you. But what but do you feel strongly strong? Yes, very strongly, because I know he's missed, understood, miss interpretive and he's a good man. If you weren't good, I wouldn't stay ter. Thank

you for I'm the captain. You got it. Thank you, Lou And lastly, of course, jan I thank you very much, mister Sherman. If I am me I would like to just expostulate momentarily God's virtues of this very fine gentleman to your immediate left, Kasrova. Sorry, is not a shik Ilahani or the iron cheek in his country. In nineteen sixty eight in Mexico City, I happen to be covering the games for NBC Television and it was at that time that I met this tremendous gentleman, of course representing his

country at that time. Later, as a matter of fact, I have to be the best man in his wedding. He has a lovely family. He's married to a very attractive Scandinavian girl from up in Minnesota. Judge, this guy is first class all the way. Granted, does have problems from

time to time with the language, but certainly you can understand that. And Judge Rotman, I've always been a big proponent of yours and all of the things that you've been doing in this part of the country, and hopefully you'll take this man into consideration where you have to put the gabble down and close up shop. Thank you very much, Thank you very much. I just they'd like to say that all I've got to collect telephone call I've got to

accept what an oath? Oh god, I think you just expostulate momentarily. Yeah, please, I wish you'd fucking explodulate. What is wrong with all these people sushokling? That is bullshit, you know, like thinks it's all style. You know, Oh, I cannot stand covering the games in sixty eight. And he's married with a very attractive Scandinavian woman. I've seen her naked through you. I can tell you right now she is attractive. I got a rock hard boner I saw naked. Have you seen her naked?

Your honor? Exactly, your honor. This is supposed to what help him. There's all kinds of like, you know, you're hurt. I just put the tail into Albano screaming about but if they're all cutting promos, they're all in their characters. And this is mister attorney Sherman, who in eighty seven thinks it's the last thing they should be doing. In eighty five, he's he's holding the microphone and he's joking about you know, do you feel

strongly about it with Louelbano trying to pop the wrestlers. I don't know, man, I don't know. How this happens. It's like everybody else is a worst carding than the wrestlers. I know. It's you know, I think they want to get it on the fucking they want it so bad. I'm a joke. They want that kind of attention, and they look like fucking idiots, thank you, exactly correct, like absolute losers. It's worth The television TV Guide listings for the Rumble said that Bam Bam Bigelow is going

to be there and Nikolai Volkov, so that didn't come to pass. As for the origins of the Rumble, Let's get this out there. Oh yeah, he is there. He's the right. I have that big thing with the rock. That's right. Pat Patterson created the Rumble. We know this. How does he phrase it? Let's turn to his book. Okay, let's not forget um. You know, a veteran of rumbles, the guy, a veteran of Battle Royals, um in San Francisco and stuff. And you know, I mean nineteen men, twenty men, twenty one men,

and that is hardly the most men he took on in one night. But uh, in terms of his experience with this kind of match, it's deep. He's seen it all, he knows a lot of tricks as far as how these matches, you know, can create fun moment. So he was so custom made to create the Royal Rumble. And here's what he says in this book about it. The first Royal Rumble was January twenty fourth, nineteen

eight eight, in Hamilton, Ontario. The difference between WWS Royal Rumbl and a traditional over the top rope Battle Royal is that the participants come into the match at two minute intervals, not all at the same time. At the beginning of the match, I wanted to create something special, something just like we had in San Francisco, where it had been such a hot event. The more I kept running the idea over in my mind, the more it took shape, and I was sure I was on something. I felt it.

Every instinct my body told me it would work. So I finally brought the idea of events. He laughed at the concept at first, saying that an hour was way too long to keep fans interested. I didn't get upset. I knew sometimes he needed time for ideas to sink in, but I made sure to say, all right, but keep in mind. But keep it in mind, will you because I know this can work. Sometime later,

we had a meeting with the USA Network about doing a special. We worked on the special with Dick Ebersol, who did the Saturday Night's Made Event shows for US at NBC. With US for NBC, it was going to be a three hour live show, but it needed something to take to the level of a WrestleMania or Survivor series. In desperation, Vince through my idea out there. Pat tell Dick about your stupid idea for that Battle Royal. Wow. First, it's not stupid. I dig it's a good idea.

God damn it, I dig it's a great idea. Abrasaul loved the concept right away. He immediately imagined the drama of the clock ticking down on screen and the audience's anxious anticipation of who was going to enter the ring next being played out every two minutes. Vince, it's great TV, he said. Vince told me to start putting it together, and I approach at all, don't you're talking about great TV? Well we'll see, all right, We'll fly in without a fucking compass. You know what. I'll just sit here

and keep my cock in my hand. Exactly what about that boss. The final touches were completed at the arena on the morning of the show. Pat writes, because I kept expecting Vince to give me some direction run where he wanted things to go, but he never did. It's your match, he told me. When we got to the building. We didn't want to simply call it a Battle Royal. We had people at the office who came up with the names, and they submitted something like fifty of them to us.

As soon as we read Royal Rumble, we knew we had the name. Personally, though I didn't care what it was called. I just wanted to see my idea come to life. The talent was freaking out on the morning of the show because all of my detailed instructions, none of them had ever done a match quite like this before. When it was all said and done, I think they loved it. I was happy too. The First Royal Rumble was a success, but until it was over, we didn't really know

if it would work. I knew it was a unique idea, but until a crab response, it's hard to know for sure. That First Rumble had only twenty participants. I feel that thirty is the ideal number. Boss, do you agree, thirty? Yes, the only number. At times the

match has expanded to forty participants, and it's been too many. Patsy agreed, you need to have main event wrestlers in there to really drive home the importance of the match, but people have to feel that just about anyone can win, just as with the case in nineteen ninety two when Wick Flare won the match in the vacant w B Championship. That show took place in alban in New York. When I came back to a locker room, Flare was crying like a little Katie was so happy. Thank you so much, you

guys. Oh my god, I can't believe this is happening. Imagine a man that celebrated and decorated freaking out. That celebrated and decorated freaking out. It was one hell of a site. He later says, I'm repeating myself here, but I don't care. People can say what they want about the business, but to us, the performers is as real as ken be Rick had done everything that could be done in wrestling twice, but winning the w TB Championship in the Royal Rumble was real for him. Moments like that validate

what we do. That's the passion I try to share with our superstars today. You need to think about and believe in what you're going to do out there to make it special. Some friends of mine tell me that their kids who are into WWB superstars today love watching classic Royal Rumble matches on www network and that they don't care if they don't know all the characters. That is so true. Like when that network came out, Boss, that's one of

the first things I remember hearing people watching her old rumbles. Yeah, yeah, they'd be best and it was hell of a way to show old rumbles to your kids, you know. Yep, when the network first came out. They still find the match interesting and surprising in a way most I mean the Royal Rumble. I mean listen, that was the that was the one match that that that that inaugural Women's Royal Rumble. Watch that over and over and over again when she was into it. There you go, yep,

yeah, there's something to be said for that. Sure. The Rumble of as you talked about, every time we do a Rumble show is the show that people that didn't quite like wrestling in your circle would still come over for Yeah, and that's a huge accomplishment. Yep. They still find the match interesting and surprising, he writes, in a way, most of the Royal Rumble matches have in this manner, passed the test of time. They are

like a good movie you can watch over and over again. It has now become w t B second biggest event of the year, and I believe it's going to remain there for ever. I'd say so. I think it's a fair assessment. I mean, if they fucking stop abusing it, it's the one thing they need to stop doing. Yep. What's one thing. What's one thing they need to stop doing. Yeah, there's just one thing that's most important that they should stop doing that they do every year or most years.

What should it be? It's the Rumbo winner needs to be in the main event of WrestleMania. Yeah, back to that. That's it. It's honestly, that's it. Everything else is fine, Like honestly, the way they do it, I mean, yes, the Pat Patterson booking of them all was always very, very very It's so well done. It's brilliantly done. Those especially those like those first five pay per view rumbles, I think are done so well, Chief's kiss um, you know it's listen, they

start fucking with a formula and that's when it goes to shit. Yep, that's what happened the first time they fucked with the formula and went to shit. What do they do that year? Ninety second intervals? Sixty second intervals? Fucking hell, Get the fuck out of here, Jesus, the hell is wrong with you guys? You know, I mean, I guess it could be said that they fucked with the formula year before by having two winners. But I still, you know, at the time, I love that

rumble, you know, I always thought it was great. I thought it was a unique one. I hated ninety five. I hated sixty second intervals. Bullshit. I don't know if you either, stop watch out boss doing eighty eight rumble. But those were not consistent intervals either. From the very beginning, I didn't but I could feel it. Yeah, I could feel

it, And that wasn't the plan. But as Bruce Pritchard will explain here, because he was responsible in part for timing out the show with Dick Ebersol right next to him at the table near Gorilla, that this is what created Titan time. This event created what they called Titan time, which means, you know, we can pretend two minutes past if it feels like now is the time to send out the next participant, or we can actually wait for

the legit shoot time. And we're looking at the show closely and trying to make sure they could get it in before the time window elapsed and have enough time for the Young Stallions tag team match versus the Islanders. They were very much minding that as they decided how much space. They thought, if we really went two minutes between every entrance as we advertised, we might not even

fit this all into our broadcast window. So here's Bruce Pritchard on Something to Wrestle, talking a bit about just becoming acquainted with the Rumble in the position he found himself in producing the event for USA. I heard you right about the time that we were talking about doing this live special on USA. Was the first time I'd ever heard Pat pitch the concept. It was interesting and

it was different. It wasn't the traditional he kept I think what killed not killed it, because obviously it came to life, but what was killing it in Vince's head was Pat continuously called it a Battle Royal, and Vince just didn't feel that an hour long Battle Royal was going to hold the crowd's attention.

He thought, oh god, that'll be boring as hell. But the way Pat was explaining it, with a new participant coming every two minutes, He's like, a brand new match starts every two minutes, and then you get rid of people and there's more people that come in. But the big pitch that I remember from Pat was that every two minutes you got a brand new match because you got a brand new guy in the ring. So it's gonna keep it exciting. It's gonna keep it going, and people are gonna

look be looking back wondering who's next to come out into the thing. So it sounded good to me. I liked the idea, but I also came from a place where the twenty two man Battle Royal was a huge event, and that was something I was pitching. And therebody stu fucking television bananza today. If they put it on TV again like this, oh yeah, and arranged the ads such that they could go without interruption, that would be a

huge rating. People would watch a whole hour ye, people would no question about it, and he mentioned, you know, Bruce provided the color about how Dick Eversow was just kind of hanging out. He had no official role. He had his own production company. He had done of course centering against the main event, and he would work with Vince on different specials. Was a big part of producing the Slammis for USA Network, but he wasn't working

for USA Network, Dick Eversow that is. And he remembers being there looking at a card for the show. The whole thing centered around, of course, the Hulk Andre contract signing with the matches sort of secondary and he said, you know, the card did suck. It did suck. And he remembered there being two more matches and dug In having a match and another tag match. It was all just matches. He likened it, like we said before, to an MSG show or a Philly show on Prism or something like

that. And that's when the interaction that Pat Patterson talks about apparently happened, where it was like, well, then give him your idea, because Dick Eversault didn't didn't love the card at all. So yeah, sixty eight weeks to put tickets on sale for the show. According to Pritchard's recollection, and again they were comfortable in Hamilton because they had done TV from the market before, he said, Dick Eversolt's fascination with the thing basically came down to the

fact that it was something different. Whose next notion and incorporating the clock in the arena and on the television, and they came up with a list of names for the match, etc. He doesn't remember it to the other ones though, and yeah, just fill it with bodies as best they could, and they did. They did an oral history onww dot com, which is always a fun feature, asking people what to remember about this initial inaugural royal rumble. Knowingww dot com is calling, of course, the guys are going

to cook up something to say. Bret Harts was the first entrant. Last twenty five minutes is mentioned. They know a Doug In and Tito Okay Patterson. I was working in the office and my job was to be creative, and I always wanted to do something that's never been done. It's like, for example, a simple steel cage match. Somebody somehow decided to have a cage match. Where that started, I have no idea, but somebody came

up with the idea. I started thinking about the Battle Royal. But I had it in my mind to simply start with two guys and then every two minutes a new guy comes out. Why would bless his heart? Why would Pat be into a match that starts with two guys and then every two minutes another guy comes out. When one guy's eliminated, he's out, and so on and so forth. And I knew it was going to work. I could visualize that, I could see it. There was no question. Is

it true? The match was inspired specifically by the annual Well, I think we have a queue on an opportunity here in Boss. I don't know. I think we're gonna have to do it that way. I didn't realize this was back and forth. I thought it was just Patterson offering quotes, Oh, let's do this for the people, all right, smattering of some some

peripheral participants as well. But this is a perhaps a bit more colorful description of how the Rumble came to be than what pat necessarily offers in his books. I'll get WW you can be w dot com. I'll be Patterson from there. Is it true? The match was inspired specifically by the annual Battle Royals that used to take place in the San Francisco territory. Well, you know, Roschil was very good at building about a royal. Once a year

he had about a royal and you could bet on it. Somebody was going to be carried out on a stretcher, somebody was going to get hurt, and it was exciting. He'd fly in some stars that were not in the territory, Dusty Rhodes and the funks. Bringing in stars like that made it very, very special. But it was just about a royal. Watch every Royal Rumbel pay per view on WWA network. I got stuck in there, so did others in ww Share your vision of the Royal rum will match.

I used to talk to Vince about the Rummel idea have you know and call it by that name, and Vince couldn't visualize that. He'd say, oh my god, it's too long, My god, all twenty guys, that's gonna take forever. Why does the concept get from the page to the ring? You know what brought it to fruition. We're having our meeting with Dick Ebersol. We had a special editing was the first special live on USA network and it was a live show from Hamilton, Ontario. So we gave Dick

episode to matches we were going to have in. Dick Ebersol for some reason didn't feel the card would be that exciting. So we've got to figure out what to come up with. And Vince turns around and goes, Pat, why don't you tell Dick Epersol your stupid idea? Oh? So I turned around and looked at the Vince and I said, well, first of all, it's not a stupid idea. I describe what the concept would be. And Dick Ebersow what crazy. He loved it. He said that would be

so great for live tell ovision. Every two minutes, another wrestler comes running in. You don't know who's who it is until you hear the buzzer. So Vince went, you're on your own. You're gonna have to do it yourself. You're gonna have to produce it. Holy Crow sounded good in my head, but to put it together it was another story. Oh you know, so many moving parts involved. Yeah, how does the process of actually executing the first rule wrol match go? Oh my god? It was crazy.

Actually, I probabused the first royal rumbo of the morning of the morning of I was going crazy because for some reason I thought I was going to sit down with Vince and put together another and all that, and then he got so busy tied up and vinceys to me a day or two before, did you get your Battle Royal producer? I said no, I had to produce it that morning, going nuts, but I did it. Did you always want to do something that's nerved him before? Oh that's that thing?

Uh? You know what was the reaction from the wrestlers upon hearing about the much format. The funny thing is when the boys found out, they what the hell is this? Someone sounded good sometime the metch was going to take a long time. I said, yeah, but it's the first time and we're going to do it. I think any time when seconding new like that

comes out, people wonder. They used to do Battle Royals one way in w WA at the time, So when they come back and change the whole format, I think everyone wondered if it would get over the extended hands. I don't think any one knew how big it would become. The boys were excited, but they were trying to figure out, asking different questions what number am I? And all that stuff. As far as the entrance goes,

and who is going to be next? I told her not to ask me too many questions and just listen and what it's your turn to go out there. That's it, Jake Roberts, I knew it would work. Yeah. Yeah. Bumping people in one after the other just creates excitement. If you put a fresh guy in every minute or so, it becomes here comes this guy, who isn't Who isn't. This is the anticipation thing, and the fans are hoping that the next guy to come out help their guy to win

it. It's all about the fans. It was tough on the damn athletes though, it really was. Did you think that the Royal Room will match would provide a lot of creative opportunities for story chilling? Absolutely? Over time the boys got more and more creative. When you first started, you were just happy to get it done and that it worked out well. There's so many guys in the ring, and there are big men moving around. Choice are always an issue. No one wants anyone else falling on the back of

his legs. It's tough out there, and you're a young guy in these matches. You want to go in there and do a bunch of stuff, and it doesn't take long for one of the veterans to make you realize, whatever you do, you have to be aware of your surroundings. You. You can't just be thinking about yourself. I was just thinking about how I was going to survive this thing and reduce the chance of injury and stuff like that. Harley Race, a lot of the younger ones that were just there

for the sake of being there. We're all hyper and jumping around that Harley Race is sitting still. You just find a way to keep yourself out on that part of it, and hopefully you're still there at the end. Red Heart became a challenge to keep the fire going. It's like having a fire on a branch in the ring, and you have to keep passing it round and keep it lit all the time. And you have to keep that fire going throughout the entire match. Oh God, sometimes you bounced from one opponent

to the next trying to light that fire again. For me, I found that much action that was going on, I could spark something in the corner that would steal all the attention from everyone else and make people watch me. Thanks. Oh my God, such a bitch. I had an ability to not exactly steal the show, but make people watch the flare up I had going with somebody in the corner. Then I would move on to somebody else and start kicking something else on the other side of the ring. Watch every

row rum a pay per view one w W eating Network. It one was an immediate reaction to the first floor rule match. Did you know as soon as the match began that you had something special? Oh? Yeah, I found it would out a doubt. I didn't know what to expect at first, and we had the first two guys in the ring, and then the buzzer hit and here comes another one, and after three or four guys went in, I knew we had something. It was so good. I didn't

think it was going to be that good. Hill Billy Jim, go ahead, Boss Loan, I don't even like him picturing picture sounds Loan me. All. After we did the first one, I knew it was going to keep going going on. Of course, everything WW was doing was pretty much landmark stuff, innovative from count of groundbreaking, and everything was working in our direction, and everything was in our favor. Wrestling was on fire and the

Royal rumb Along Wrestleman. It was just a perfect fit, and all the boys in the show knew that it was something that was going to be going on every year after that. Still, I guess, yeah, Rob, thirty minutes after the opening bell, No, no, this is aw dot com there Yeah, roughly a thirty three minutes after the opening bell? Okay here? Oh sorry? Were there any lessons you know you took away from that first rumble as soon as it ended. Were you trying to think of

ways to make it even bigger and better? Vince came up with that idea to make it bigger and include thirty superstars. Set out to myself, what a crap, it's going to be even longer now without those guys in there. And I wasn't too sure if it was too long, if I'd take too much time. But if you have the right talent, it doesn't matter. You can go an hour and a half if you wanted to. We had a good talent, so it worked out very well. As long as the fans love it, that thought, it matters. You know, all

the big match types have been invested with nine ninety eight. Hell on a cell Nation Chamber, Your TILC matches. You was about the rumble that's enabled it to stand the test of time. What makes the right rumble exciting is the surprises. Who's next, who's going to be eliminated. It's really exciting. The buzzer goes and it's like, wow, this guy's in now. And a lot of times we have guys who have left a business and we

bring them back for one night and things like that. There's always going on, always action going on in the ring, and it's a long match. It's over an hour, you know, for one match one hour. A lot of fun, hard differing together, but it's a lot of fun. The beauty of the rumble is that every couple of minutes another guy comes out and just seeing what kind of difference it makes. When you're having a royal

rumble and all of a sudden they send out Bob Blackland. He's a whole different type of wrestler than the one two three kid around or the giant. It changes the complexity the entire match. Everyone knows that if Andre is waking up, everyone's intent is going to go up. It's a whole different mentality.

You're looking back over your main creative contributions. You are just inventing the Royal Rumble match, Rang I'm very proud of it, no question, but it doesn't blow up my head like oh men, I created the Royal Rumble. I was never looking for Dad. I was just looking to be creative and do something different, and I'm glad I did. I'm happy I did it to fans love it. The boys love it. I love it, Vince loves it. That's part of the job to be created. When something's

good, it lasts forever. I'm proud of it, but I don't brag about it. Who invented it doesn't matter. As long as the fans love it, that's all that matters. Yeah. Yeah. He would go on to hope and lobby for a a Pat Patterson Memorial Cup trophy to be awarded to the Royal Rumble winner every year. Wow, and they did not do that. Yeah, sorry, sorry, Pat. I don't know why you think you deserve that, but it's not gonna happen. Yeah, I'm not

going to do that. Pell don't think that there's a thing that I'm interested in. I'm going to give a trophy to somebody for helping us become better acquainted with the notion of tightened time, right, Bruce, I mean, I don't think that we really felt that it was a home run. Quite frankly, that day, we thought it was good, it was interesting, but we were trying to pick it apart and think about how can we make

this better. One of the things that came out of it was the phrase tightened time, and that was from Dick and I as we got into it and we realized where we were in the show. The Dino Bravo weightlifting thing had gone long, and some other things had happened on the show that the timing was off, and that was all my fault because I was a little

overwhelmed with my first live show. That Dick sat next to me at Gorilla and we started fudging the times and instead of going every two minutes, some guys would get him in to have some guys would get a minute, and we would just send them when we needed to send them when it was right for the match. So we learned that as we went along that o, man, it's two minutes going to be too long for this thing, and nobody's really nobody's sitting there with a stopwatch, which I'm sure there were people

that were sitting there with a stopwatch. But we just started sending people and that's where we coined the phrase Titan time. We'll send it when we're ready. But it wasn't something we look back on that night and go, oh my god, that was the greatest match ever. It was like, that worked pretty good, but there's got to be a way to tweak it, maybe make it better. Does this match you're feeling after watching this Rumble show that this is kind of like a dud? No, not at all.

No, I'm surprised to hear this commentary. Yeah, yeah, No, I mean I think it looks spectacular, really registered with me, a really hit. Yeah, I think it's exciting. I think it's a it's a it's it's something different, and yeah, I don't know what. I'm surprised that it came across that so kind of nonchalant in the back, like, Okay, that happened, we'll move on. It just seemed like so many of the logistics of producing the show preoccupied them that they didn't actually realize why

you were putting out there. Pritchard would also add that he felt that Dick Ebersol felt that the Rumble saved the show overall, which I have to say, if there wasn't a rumble match on this, it would be a kind of a week television, Oh for sure. I mean, you know, I mean, yes, the the the contract sighting is exciting at all. It has its moments, but you know, you can't, you really can't.

It's hard to build a show like this, which is basically a pay per view, and like you said on free TV, around a non wrestling moment, right around Hope getting his head banged into a table, and that's right about the end of it. He remembers Patterson having getting all the guys in a room and giving them detailed notes of who's in and who's out and when, and making copies and everyone had the whole match laid out for them on paper, which, to Pritchard's memory, was not really something they ever

quite did before. This may have been a first where they're handing around sheets of paper to talent to explain how a match is going to go. I mean, it makes sense, though, I mean, it's probably probably one of the more complex matches that you can do. Had to hear pat tell it. He really was flying by the seat of his pants. Communicating these directions because he expected Vince to take the brains on producing the match and realized

with just a day to spare that that wasn't gonna happen. The only thing, Patterson pardoned me, the only thing Pritchard recalls walking through was the Andre Hogan contract signing bit they got up in the ring before the show started, and who's going to sit on which side of the table, And definitely that was Vince's baby on the whole thing. That's what he cared the most about.

Meanwhile, Pritchard's writing the matches out who would go where, slotting in commercials and teases, and Vince was the one that laid out Andre Hogan. Vince in particular, he said, and wanted Andre to slam Hogan's head into the table. That was the most That was the most detail they got into as far as what they wanted from the segment, he said. Despite having timing shows forever for Paul Bosh and others, it was kind of an overwhelming

task this rumble, he said. The philosophy of Dick Ebersol was get all your best out, get all your best stuff out early, and you can end with stuff that's not so important because at that point and a time slot like this, you're fighting sleep. That was Dick Ebersol's big enemy was sleep after you know, midnight on NSNL or whatever shows he was producing, and he was given an order by Vince was pretty shared. No matter how much time was at the end, that was how much time the tag match was

going to have. So this young Stallion's Islanders match is constricted or not depending on it. And they got a lot of time as it turns out. I mean they kind of felt like they were rushed because they did a whole lot of other shit. I think the popular memory kind of forgets that they did a lot of like recapping of the rumble right there was there was a lot of dead time too, but definitely thinks it should have been a one fall squash. I don't know why this match was two out of three falls.

I don't know either. I don't know either. And also like yeah, it was I don't know what the fuck they were talking about with having with going along. I mean they had so much time at the end of that show. Yeah, and a new challenge too. The first time they were trying to communicate to people in the body of the rumble match, who's supposed to go out? When? How do you get messages to the ring?

This is before referees had earpieces, right, and they were not accustomed to doing this in a way that you know, it's one thing in a television taping to send word down through a cameraman or something. But here, according to Pritchard, what they worked out was pretty much, you know, the guy who was going down to the ring to get in was to communicate an instruction to somebody about when to go out. And they also had referees

around ringside to send reminders too at key moments. But the way he put

it is that they forgot to eliminate Brett Hart. He was saying for years that Pritchard was that Brook Martel was in the first rumble, and he was a guy that lasted very long, but not because that was by design, but rather because there was a miscommunication from the person who was supposed to say, now is the time to get this guy out, or they forgot to check that box and eliminate that guy from the rumble when they were supposed to,

you know, sort of lost in the muck of everything that's going on. And then during the nineteen eighty eight something to Russell, he has this moment of like, oh my god, I've been saying it's been Rick Martell. I meant it was Brett Hart now that I watched the match, So how his Brett might be for this performance, And as much as Jesse Ventura might put him over, and as much as that creates the boiler plate for a classic Rumble story of the guy who lasts a long time, it was

not by design according to Pritchard, of course, never oversight. So that's fucking hilarious. And of course the backdrop to all this is the big angle for the big match between Hogan and Andre Teddy Biassi preparing to buy the championship. And you know, just as much as the Rumble match, as we've talked about, that whole thing is very much part of the thrust of what

we're about to witness in taking in the nineteen eighty eight World Rumble. Yep, And I can feel I can feel it, Boss, There's an intensity these two get across. And oh, for sure, the whole the whole fucking contract signing with Andre just just kind of staring like in how he stalls inside. It's it's great stuff. It's really it's so subtle. It's so subtle, but it's brilliantly done, really is. And DBAs he was still

a hot character. He had just kind of you know, had his big coming out party in eighty seven um to WWF and they'd done a bunch of vignettes, but like what he was actually going to do and if he was if he was going to involve himself in the the world title picture was not quite clear right and here it is abundantly clear. What what's going to happen

now? As fans are asked on an edition of Primetime Wrestling leading into the Royal Rumble what they think about the Million Dollar Man's overtures to Hull Coke and to sell the world title, and what they think about um position Hule Coke and find himself in heading into this contract. I'm glad he didn't sell out and I want to hope to rip him up. I think the Holster did

that right thing. He wouldn't let us fans down. Anyone that knows the Hawkster knows that he does not have a price for the million Dollar Man. I think Hawk is number one and I don't think he'll ever let up to the million dollar man. Well, I think he's right. Why should he sell his belt? He's well earned it and I think he'll probably hold it. Hulk is definitely a true American, and I know that he'd never succumbed to Ted Debios and his money because Holks, the Hulks, Wholka maniacs out

there. I mean more to Haulk than any monetary value at all. I think that he should reject that the money's not worth the felts, not worth any amount of money like that. It should be able to win it, not be able to just buy it. I'm very heavy at hawk hold and didn't take the money from Ted DBIASI way to go howk oh Man lost innocence. Maybe Holk should have taken the money. He'd been set for life,

don't forget the world champ gets all the creature comforts. But after a divorce settlement and the accident and some back surgeries, he probably could have used the money. Huhe two should have went three two one, because we've reached that point where we're going to take a pause and we're going to prepare ourselves for the latest deep dive from the last man. We're going all the way back thirty five years ago to the creation of the Royal Rumble as a live television

event. It's nineteen eighty eight, January twenty fourth, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It's yours the co chairman, going deep on a historical show. It's that fucking But before we go, we have a death toll. Yes we too. We have sixteen d which the all things considered, you know, given that there's a twenty man royal Royal true, you don't think yeah

awful. But Gene Oakland, oh sure, Howard Finkel, Jack Toney, Joey Morella, Butch Read, Jim Nidheart, Harley Race, Nikolai Volkoff, Ron Baths, Frenchie Martin, Dino Bravo, the Junkyard Dog, Rick Rude, the Ultimate Warrior, Bobby Heenan and Andre the Giant. Rest in peace, all and wish us luck as we deep dive the very first televised Royal Rumble. On the other side of this break,