WeWatchWrestling Issue #653

Do you watch wrestling? Well hello then.

Welcome friends and foes, heels and baby faces to the place that's in your face like a hypodermic needle from MJF The We Watch Wrestling Podcast. Welcome. I'm your wonderful darling, redheaded bearded host, Wrestling Matt McCarthy, with me always professional wrestling encyclopedia, Mr. Vince Averill. Had to get the corned beef and cabbage going before we started this morning, you know, had to get the crock my my WWE championship crock pot out of the cupboard.

Get everything in there. Are you doing anything today for St. Patrick's Day? Are you going anywhere? No, no. I d but I always make I always make corned beef and cabbage. That's all I'm doing. Oh yeah? Yeah. But I won't I won't be going anywhere. Nah, not for none for me, dog. It'd be nice to go somewhere. Sure. You know, but it's like there's so few spots I feel in LA that it's like everywhere.

Is overrun. Sure. Well, you know, the other thing too is I don't want to I don't want to be in some place, uh, you know, the middle of the next week and they're like, uh, you can have a pint of this green shit for fucking four dollars. No no no no no no. I remember when my brother was in DC, he was like one of the bars was and this is the early nineties. One of the bars was like

It was green beer nickel. A nickel for a green beer. Oh yeah. Uh nickel beer. Um nickel beer. She uh Wednesday, April eighth.

Braindead Studios in Los Angeles, we're gonna watch Beyond the Mat with the director, Barry Blostein, the author of Coming to America, if you don't know. If you didn't know oh, you didn't know? So you can get your tickets in the Dice app and the link is every place all the time, everywhere. Come hang out.

How about it? Saw Madison at the old revolution. He said. Oh you did? Yeah, I just like I was out in the concourse and I saw him getting some chicken fingers or something and I ran up on him. Tackled him. Tackled his ass. Started braiding his hair. I said, Hey uh I heard this place has got some tasty yard bird. I don't know how I always wind up so lucky. I guess it's just a little lucky the Irish fence, but it's um that in my face. It used to be

I I don't know how I just lucked out with the this this parking situation that I've that I've figured out. Oh, you got a spot? Well, I'm still paying for it, obviously. But like I used to park Like around the corner down the block, like past the movie theater. Uhhuh. You know? And I think it was because I was taking like the one on one down and then it would dump me out over there. Okay.

But I take the four oh five down now. So then I come up past the convention center, right? Ah. Yep. And then what I wind up doing is uh it's thirty bucks, which I'm like that's For as close as I am to the fucking building. Listen, if it was the forum, it'd be seventy. I mean, for Christ's sake. And there yeah, yeah, yeah. There's an office building called Circa. Okay. That is like just directly across the street. I'm familiar. Right? Have you parked there?

No, I've uh like that's where the smoking area is right there in Figaroa. So it looks right, kinda looks that's why I'm like, Oh, there's a building circa'cause there you know, there's the the casino in Las Vegas. So I've looked at it and thought like, uh, it's the same people? I mean it almost fit'cause I'm like on the'cause uh'cause I'm not near all the the pomp and wants with the the bowling. Yes, the LA Live.

I'm on so I just I you know, you go in, you drive up, it's a garage parking, little elevator down, and I'm I'm right across the street. Uh there's I walk right in and we're next to the section. Where it was where we w where we always sit, right in the one oh one. Luck of the Irish is all I can think. It's all I can think. Bro. The only I mean Logical explanation. It's the it's gotta be the luck of the Irish or

the the uh the ingenuity of the Averill. I'm still going through my in search of, so maybe there'll be an an episode on the Luck of the Irish and I'll be able to report back on this. You're in search of in search of. The Luck of the Irish. I'm also in search of

I was just perusing this right here, which is my yeah. This is this is my hard drive of Portland Wrestling. Uh just randomly clicking on a few. There was a uh there's a couple that uh a couple of the folders just labeled Buddy Rose's collection. First one I click on, about fucking Two and a half seconds of Joni loves Chachi and then boom we're into the show.

That is so fucking funny. But not like it was on before it. Like that's it. No, he taped over Joni loves Chachi. And then it was on to yeah. Yeah. That is a hundred percent what I what I thought. Are are the commercials in? Um, I I don't know. I haven't'cause I like I just got that yesterday. I just got in here to what I need you know, you have to have the extra thing to plug it in your computer at this point.

So just before we got together I was like just clicking on a few things just to make sure That's tremendous. Just to make sure it works. Sure. Yeah, yeah. I mean I I I was pretty confident that I was dealing with a legitimate person, but sure you like to just uh

Well you'd like to you y you know, y you still gotta count the money. You double check, you triple check. You get change if you're gonna have an event, you don't go down it you gotta get change for people. You got change? You got change for these people?

Lee Avril, never giving you an inch. Be prepared. Um Wow, so I got in I I was shocked. I was figured um you know, you c th'cause it was it was a little past four o'clock, I figured you guys would already be in there. I'm sitting there in an empty row You know what happened was uh we're over at the lucky strike and you know People will look to me sometimes for what what's the move and uh I w started to, you know, do some calculations and I said

Of the three events during the zero hour, the one that I would like to see is the Battle Royal. I thought the Battle Royal will probably bleed over into the main show. I said I think Four thirty is a comfortable time to get in there and you nailed it. Um I got in there, uh the Costco guys were already tearing it down. Mm. And uh Wayne Brady was making his presence felt. I couldn't believe it when he pulled Who who was it, the guy, uh not Shane Strickland?

Is that who it was? Oh well, whatever. Somebody pulled him over the fucking railing and it was a riot. And then the Rizzler comes over, he throws the Rizzler down. Is that is he uh what movie is he in? What, what? What movie is Wayne Brady in where or no, it's like crazy? No, no, it's f it's from Chappelle. That's where he's like Am I gonna have to slap a bitch? That's right. Yeah, it's like Is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a bitch? That's right. I forgot about that. Yeah.

For some reason at first I was thinking it was that movie, um uh the Seth Rogan movie where the world ends and they're all yeah. But no, it was it's Chappelle. Um yeah, that movie I I s we saw that in the theater. And it was like, man, this is this it's it was like a really long sketch. I watched it again recently. I think it's kinda funny. I remember thinking it was funny. Yeah. But yeah, we a move a strange movie. Like uh uh such a uh

Such a time and place movie, you know. It's like it you know, I don't know, it's like Cannonball Run, sort of, except Not you know, like with as far as like bringing together people who of that period are like celebrities. Right. Yeah. Very much like a um Like it w it was like yeah, these are the people who make movies right now. Yeah. And and al almost felt like, okay, this is the last one we're gonna do. Um

Now did you see na I'm just gonna pivot real quick. Uh Oh, you you best pivot. Did you see how safe Brock was being with those hooded People on Raw. My God, dude. It I I hope I'm getting worked. The guy who got thrown onto the stairs. Well, I wonder if he'll continue to be able to wrestle. Like he was just when he came down and was like fucking those guys up, I was like He doesn't give a fuck if these people live or die. He knows that like he can paralyze five of them.

And it ain't gonna affect him. He he obviously can do whatever he wants or he wouldn't be on the show right now. So like it I was just like, Jesus Christ. Yeah. Yeah. He's um now but I know I know also that he is, you know, he he always looks very violent and you hear guys say like, oh, Brock's the easiest. So hopefully it was some of that. But there's a few of those fucking tosses where I was like, ooh. I mean would you Compare it to like Randy and the uh who are the the Bollywood boys? Oh. Um

I mean for su like yeah, as as far as just like throwing someone b like you always hear like when you're going a direction and you can't see that's the most dangerous. Yeah. Like so they're all that move, right? You're you're going over backwards. And there was at least three of them where I was like, oh, like whether it was whether they like it turned out or not, it was not safe. You know, there was one guy who went over on his side and

off of a fucking throw. There's one dude who just got fucking he g he takes this guy into the s over the stairs and it was like ew and then the next dude he was like too close to the barrier so the dude just like ate the like Suplex dire you know, I don't know. Again, Bubba Ray, leave me alone. I'm a mark, but uh I just was like, Fuck, dude. There's gotta be no bigger mark than Bubba Ray Dudley. Uh Bubba Ray sucks so bad.

Um, but we're keeping it positive over here. I'm having a great time being a wrestling fan. Yeah, man. And um I really do w uh it really has been the um uh diminishing returns on Roman and Punk. Like it like You said it a long time ago. You're like, I wish they had just had that one interaction and then Well also now that that's like

If Roman's in town, the main event will be a talking segment with those two. Like that's that's raw the raw main event now until like I'm sure Roman won't be back for a couple weeks, but At least who knows, but um it's uh I don't know, the big go home line was you're old. Well, dude, I mean so i y that's uh you know, again, everything is so different now, but yeah. Like He's not he's not putting punk over.

No. You know, like you gotta get you gotta get your opponent over and then to to the to end it with like You're old. Uh and on on the same day where wink wink, oh it's it's three sixteen day. So everything is thirty-one point six percent off.

Not not because we want that to just be what happens for mania right now, but we're just gonna be like that's the shop. Yeah. A couple of these other house shows and thing. And but like I I didn't I wish I would have looked at some of the other events. Maybe like I wonder if those events had like a half of a section where you could get that discount. But it it just felt to me like they're like, let's let's do this off this three sixteen thing.

So that hopefully we sell some mania tickets, but we'll make it look like it's just uh us being n nice across the board. But there's we're just having a great time. I mean sure that the shop they fucking do they do sales every goddamn day, but but it was just like Get your fucking mania tickets. They're thirty one percent off today. Um'cause the guy in the w at least one of the guys on the main event is old. Dude. That's like one of those things where like uh

If I had pitched that like in the room, do you know the scolding that you would get? Oh, of course. Of course.

It yeah, it's just uh it it don't it don't make no sense, man, to not put your opponent over and to especially oh Penny's on the lookout. You talking about me? Um no, I mean, I remember. When it was it was actually it was Punk and Jericho. When we were getting that feud going, I remember writing a line about um for for punk. I remember writing a line about like um you know, Jericho was uh

Had the biggest opportunity in this company. He beat Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night, unified the belts. He was handed the ball. And then the line I came up with was um he didn't just drop the ball, it deflated in his hand. Mm-hmm. Where I was like, I don't know, it's a pretty good line. I don't know. Fucking maybe Hey boss, I'm just talking out loud. Maybe it'll spark a better idea. Spitballing. But like, yeah, just spitballing here, you know.

Not this, but maybe something better. Throwing the ball at the wall, see what deflates. And I don't know if it was it was probably a combination of like b Brian Gowerz's reaction to that was like It was it was such a Often the head writers when we would just be in the room just us were just i i i it i it was this exhausted this defeated

like exhaustion. Like almost like when guys would describe like Tanahashi or Nakamura in the back where you're just like it sounds like a Halloween sound effects record when they move their bodies. Right. And I always felt it was like a combination of The biggest negative reaction was always you could see them playing the tape in their head of them having to pitch that to Vince. Sure. And then I think on top of it, because Brian was like one of Jericho's guys.

him having to say this to Jericho. Right. Who a as you could as as you can imagine, Shocker takes himself very seriously. But what I mean, what inherently like deflated it just it just like doubles down on the fact that he didn't do shit or what? I guess so. I mean, I think I mean it was so long ago when I wrote the line, but I think it was just about like

You know, I don't even remember how long he had that unified title, but it was like You know, just trying to be like you act like you're a legend but you know, you you you you th I think it was it was more trying to convey the line of like, you think you're better than you are And I'm the best in the world. Right. Sure. It doesn't s speak to um

You know, like last night where it's like, I'm faster than you, you can't do this, you can't do that, and you're old. Like there's no there was no like old. There was no like, you may have me in this category. Like he didn't he didn't give him anything, you know, and it's just like

I'm not sure if that's how it's supposed to work. But I also I was like I w I was the more I thought about it, the more confused I was by the you know, if you wanna know what the top guys are up to, ask your wife. And at first I was like Right,'cause she's a bigger star than him. No, no, he meant he was I think what he was saying,'cause he was talking about like, You wanna bitch about me not being here and the deal I have?

Like if you want to know what the fucking the the peop the the the top people who are getting the fucking deals are getting talk to you know, being like your wife shows up once in a while too. Like she she has a deal like I have, but not like she's a you know No no no. Yeah. For sure. But then I was like that's the way I took it, but then I but then I started thinking about it more. I was like It's like you could also take it like she's fucking those top guys.

Oh. Which I was like, there's no way that that's where they were going with it, but I was like, it was worth the way it was worded, I was like, hmm. Cause trust me. I'm I'm I post videos on the internet every single day and the The mental gymnastics I go through. Yeah, just to just to avoid like foreseeing the comments that are coming, anticipating the bullshit where I'm like Right.

And I and I've gotten pretty good at it. The amount of comments double clarify. Clarify, double clarify. Let me just make sure you fucking understand what I'm saying, homeboy, because I don't feel like reading the comments. Yeah.

And the amount of comments I do read where I'm like, I was in the middle of typing it until you said blah blah blah. I wonder who Randy was talking on to on the phone. It's dad? Matt Riddle? Uh probably his brother. His brother probably had a good set and uh he was telling him about how it went.

No, it sounds like Randy bringing someone in. Maybe it was uh from Cody's past. That's gotta be uh Ted DiBiassi Jr. No, it sounded like it was someone uh a buddy of uh maybe maybe he's just bringing in the cowboy. I'm not talking about Paige. Just because Paige can't go for the title no more. I'm not talking about Anna Paige. What's that? Is Bob Warden alive? I think so, isn't he?

I honestly thought everybody from the WrestleMania One main event was dead. Oh. Well, I apologize. Well, no, I'm gonna find out. Yes. He's dead? Oh no no. This is Bob Wharton His dad. Okay. Yeah. No, Bob Orton Jr. is still alive. I stand corrected. Thank you. Thank you. Um He's the only one left. Yeah. Well You know, I mean uh oh well Mr. T. Obviously Mr. T is still alive. Mr. T and Bob Wharton are the only ones left'cause uh Hogan, Snookah, Patterson, Ali, Orndorf, Piper.

Liberacci. Liberacci's dead. Billy Martin's dead. Um

Yeah, so maybe Cow uh maybe Cowboy can take a take a crossroads or um Dude, he was looking pretty old fifteen years ago. London and Kendrick, maybe? Randy wants to bring in some of his old smoking buddies. Maybe he's bringing in the Bollywood boys. You know what I owe you guys? What a what a double cross. How about a little main event pay? How about a little fucking WrestleMania payoff? Maybe he's bringing in Kofi.

Kingstone? Yeah. No. Kingstone's got his own program. He's working his own program with Anhausen and them. Can we get Kofi kicks to the payday? Mm mm. I didn't realize uh like I knew that they knew. Like, well, Dan Helsin will sell a bunch of t shirts. I didn't realize they were gonna make that part of his gimmick that he's like, Okay, uh, T shirts Oh yeah. It's it's just brazen. It's just like buy a T shirt. Yeah.

Yeah. Uh our truth with his head shaved is a little still a little jarring for me. Uh I'll never get used to it. Uh which was more startling? Him or John Morrison with the shaved head? Um Well, I didn't even know who the fuck John Morrison was at first. Do you know how I recognized him? How's that? His abs. I was like I was like I was like, those are Johnny Nitro's abs.

So I was looking at him from the back and I was like, Who is that? And someone was like, Oh, that's fucking Morrison. And I was like, Oh, that's right. He got his head shaved. Uh I mean it's time for early morning, if it if in fact they have any relationship, you know. It's time for Guy Steele to make his fucking entrance down that ramp and become all elite.

I mean with his head shaved he's he's halfway to Guys Steel Territory. All he needs is just put on the gimmick, put on the gear. He doesn't need to bring it up. If in fact there's any correlation at all. I mean, it seems like they have some sort of an association. I mean I I'm pretty sure John Morrison's either Guy Steel or Matt Classic. I don't know. He's one of those guys, I'm sure of it. I mean

God bl God bless anybody wrestling in a fucking hard plastic mask. Rubber eye. I mean, the man almost died in Vegas. I who can who can blame'em. The sweat was pouring. It was pouring like a glass of water out of that thing. Uh that's a problem. Yeah, a bit of a problem. When I was the Ford a mascot, that's what they said to me. They were like

I was like, so like do you s like I'm I'm gonna probably sweat a lot in this thing? They go, That's not the problem. The problem is is when you stop sweating.

Okay. Run. So you came in during Oh, I think I got there right at the end of the women's match. Yes. Yes. Interesting match. Still wasn't sure why they had to wrestle twice on the show. Yeah, it was I like it almost felt like did they have to like uh they couldn't have just done a backstage where they banged up Willow. To kind of I guess it is a unique way to not just do a oh she got attacked in the back, you know. Right.

And I do think it, you know, it protects the babes of wrath. Um and I like what do they call themselves? Oh god. This dog never knows whether she's coming or going. Um good. Well she's gone, I'm gonna take off my jacket. What's what's the name of uh Lena and um Barbarella's tag team? Mm. Uh there is there was no there wasn't even a snowball's chance that you were gonna be able to pull it out. Maybe. Um what's what is what uh the aforementioned Barbarella's name is.

Oh, the the Glamozon. What's her name? Fucking um Edge's wife? Is not in a tag team, my friend. Sh fucking um Jennifer Jason Lee? Jennifer Jennifer Big. What's her name? Um the that seventies girl, but I can't think of what her name is.'Cause if I knew that then I might have a I might be like, Oh yeah it

They're called uh You know who I'm bummed isn't I I asked on her Instagram if she was gonna be in Vegas for many week and she said, Hell no, is the big gal, uh what's her name, Erica something or other. She was the one she would show up once in a while with the Outrunners. Oh. Okay. The big gal. She's a fuck it or she is so fucking funny on her Instagram. Yeah.

Um, Effie versus um Alley Catch at spring break, loser leaves G C W. I'm like They already did the thing where fucking Brett Lauderdale was like, Hey, wish her well, you know. Oh yeah, she's like, so she already left like w what what are we talking about here? Like she she's the one who's already gone. How is it a fucking lose or leaves GCW, man?

This is the kind of thing that um McMahon, if he were booking that, he'd be like, nobody remembers that. Um I cannot think of her fucking name to save my life. The girl I'm talking about is Erica Lee. Erica Lee. That's to be with the um That's the big gal. She would she would like on like a random ring of honor, like Marina Shafir would fucking destroy her or something. Okay. But she's the one I f I first found her Somebody sent me um um she did a promo video. It was brilliant.

It was but it was shot like it was a dating video. Okay. And she's like but sh instead of looking for uh a date, she's looking for an opponent. Uhhuh. And it and it's a fucking riot where she's she just keeps running down of just like She's like, I need a challenger. It's been forever and she's got like big like you know, jersey hair and shit. And it's like and and does like kind of the, you know, halfway the eighties throwback thing.

So you reached out, you were like, Are you gonna be in Las Vegas? And she I just I yeah, she posted recently and I just commented. I was like, Are you gonna be in Vegas Mania Week? And she was like Her reply was hell no. Oh Why why would it be such a negative? I don't know. Um, but hey man, I work in the entertainment industry. I know when something's gonna be a pain in the ass. Ah sure. Nah, sure. Um Okay, let's see here.

It's so funny.'Cause like when we first started seeing her, I could never remember her name and now she's on TV every week and I still can't remember it. Jamie Hayter. Right? That's who you're talking about? What? The the tag team, the aforementioned tag team that you're doing. No, no, the the the the women who just won the championships. Joey Janella's girlfriend. Oh, why when you said Lena, I was like, who the fuck is Lena? Isn't that her partner, Lena Cross?

No, that I think that's the part Jamie Haders partner is No, Jamie Haders this is too fucking funny. Jamie Hader's partner is Alex Windsor. Ah. They're the brawlin birds. They're my I thought I thought fucking I thought um Ha ha ha. Uh hold on. Janella's lady I can't think of. We have spoken ourselves stupid. No, no, no. I mean, I had I had the end of the Guinness can when I put put most of it into the corned beef before I started. I had this much Guinness.

I can't even believe it. I thought it was Penelope Ford with her partner. There's a third. They they they have Is this gonna go against me always uh leaving when the when the women are wrestling? Well, I know you weren't there when that tag app Was that the one when Kenny came out? Oh my god. I am crying laughing. Lena Horn. Lena Cross is tagged team champions with um Megan Bain. Bane of your existence.

They are the divine domin dominion. You do not smoke yourself. Holy shit. That is so funny. But you know the best part? Because the amount of people who were screaming in the cars and screaming at us and screaming. And poor Kristin Edna's probably in the lunchroom choking on a sandwich.

It's dangerous this show. It's dangerous. It's it's hazardous to your health. Uh hey man. You know what I have? I put it away. I've been rearranging the office and uh purging. And one of the things I found in like a a stack of wrestling magazines and and whatnot. Is a huge uh drawing, crayon drawing. that Cash Allen did for us. when like like twelve years ago. Oh shit. Okay And it's like you, me, Rob and Tom like riding on like

A dragon or a unicorn or something. Send me a picture of that. I will, I will. It is a fucking riot. I took a pi I sent a picture to um his folks. Wes. Yeah, to Wes and um What's her name? Ashley? Yeah, here it is.

I'll send it to you right now. Yeah, it like we're riding like I think it it must be a a like a reference to like the New Day or something, riding on the unicorn. But we're also we look like we're turtles or something. I don't know what's going I'll I'll send it to you right now. This is a fucking

It belongs in a museum, Vince. Brother. Let me tell you something, brother. This one was in the archives, alright? A lot of people sent a lot of stuff to the P.O. box. McCarthy only keeps a few elite pieces. Okay. Go Tigers, it says. Down in the corner it says where's Randy? Look at this thing. Wow. How great is that? What do you think that thing is that's saying where's Randy? I don't know. It it almost looks like a pacifier or something.

I don't know what it is. Is it me with like a long nose? Something. Amen. Amen. Art is

Alive and well. Alive and well, dude. Um so the so the the the Megasis and the cross Finally, they get some gold. Well, this is what I like about it because um Now keep them just put them on a war path, you know. Maybe have the the Babes of Wrath get a a a rematch at some point.

Um maybe on a pay per view, maybe on a special dynamite, whatever. Very special. Um I don't want the Babes of Wrath to break up. I think they're a great act together. It'll break my heart if you know I I I would I don't love Willow as like I don't know. They it felt like they tried doing her as like half a heel for a cup of coffee. And I'm just like, this is this is foolish. Right. But um

What's what's the other one's name? Cameron? Roderick Strong. Roderick Strong Um but like Harley Cameron can she's very funny, but like as a like a heel, you could do like remember when Santino was a heel? Yes. How f like he was it was so much fucking better than him just being a clown shoe. Right, right. Oh my God. If you've never wat kids, if you've never really watched or had a refresher you hadn't seen in a while, when Santino Morello was a heel. Yeah.

It is some of the funniest shit that's ever been on WWE. Good luck trying to find it. We don't know where any ad is right now, but hopefully, you know, uh things come together here and uh there'll be a home for some of this stuff. Besides waiting for the channel, wouldn't that be nice on the YouTube channel? You gotta wait till it comes on YouTube. I mean, here's the fucking thing. I'm like, I'm getting ready to like purge a bunch of DVDs, and then all of a sudden I'm like

Well now ev now nothing's on the fucking peacock. Half the stuff doesn't even make its way over to the Netflix. I mean like my only hope is like, all right, well if it goes up on YouTube on the WWE vault. That might be something, but then then I run into the issue of like but then they changed the fucking music. Even like music that they owned at some point. I'm like, what what is happening?

But at any rate, keep put the uh the the Dominion what are they? The div the divine dominion. It's a terrible name for a team. I'm sorry, girls. Double alliteration? It's it's uh double uh something alliteral alliterative works w without so many syllables. Sure. Divine dominion Nah doesn't work a little clumsy, a little clumsy on the tongue. Highly clumsy. The domineering divas. I do like the nation uh Divas. Somebody was like

Asked Tony Khan about running SoFi and he's like, Oh, that's an interesting idea. I don't know why And then someone was like, All in twenty seven, fucking do it at SoFi. I'm like, All right, I'm down with that. That'll be I'm big time down with that. Are you shitting me? But then Wembley Stadium keep All the way till August. All the way till August. And then you have these two

mean ass kicking tag teams. I haven't watched a ton of Lena Horn. I'm I'm never gonna not call her that. Uh oh buddy. Lena Cross. Yeah. Um I felt like the the overall sentiment of everybody in our section was, damn, she's really tall. I heard that. From every individual that I was sitting next to. Uhhuh. Because uh it was like I was I was down near Jeff and and Jerry. Yeah.

During the the pre show or at least when when the women were in the ring and then by the time that tag happened I was on the other end of the row. Yeah. Combined with people in front and behind us. Everybody was quite thrown by the length of the horn. But I mean Megan, ba uh but they seem to work well together in the tag.

Megan Bain can fucking go. But then Big things ahead. Yeah, once you get the birds in there, I'm like I really hope they don't rush it. I'm like, that's where you go at Wembley. That that's a that's a fucking hot tag. I'm loving the the the the women's tag division over there. Oh really? What about the alliteration now that they're in there?

The alliteration. The iconics. The alliteration. What do they call? The illustrious the The inspiration. Inspiration. Yes, yes. The illiteration. You gotta be joking me. You gotta be joking me.

Do you remember when they made all those um animated gifs with them. If you put the iconics into um your GIF search, there's just there's like a dozen and a half of just them. Like in the like Much like with uh I thought you were about to get really really serious'cause you were like coming coming toward the camera as you were like if you put into your GIF search, I'm like, what?

The dog the dog wanted to sit behind me again. She wanted to look out she needed to look out the back door, maybe do a couple quick o quick little growls and then uh she needed to lay behind me again. But the um Much like Paul Heyman saying F A F O F A O Schwartz One step ahead of behind the times. They had they're like, Oh, oh, people like animated gifts. We need to have uh

Certain members of the roster do that. Send them down to pre-tapes. Have uh the Brooklyn Brawler record them doing different animated gifts. You know what uh took me out of Heyman's thing last night? Was die in his eye? Well yes, because so he had gotten Curb stomped, hit with a chair, curb stomped. And his like I was like, how do they does he actually have like pink eye or something?

And then later when we saw him backstage, it was it had like cleared up. Like it was still a little puffy, but his eyes always are. But the but that red like the fucking the goop was gone. I'm like Uh when it was going on, I was like, What is this? Like you know, it's one thing to like put on a fake black eye. I'm like, what is going on with that eyeball right now? Yeah. That was that was like uh like conjunctivitis level

Horror show. And you know, this like pompous fucking asshole, like I just don't know that that's yeah. I just don't know that that's his response to being curb stomped two weeks ago or whatever. That he's like

Coming down the ramp, like uh uh uh you know, like what the fuck is going on here? True. I got he got he got a pink eye and fucking he's like in shock still. Now Yeah, there's really no um I'm trying to think about it. Like what what would you what would you say Paul Heyman's character is? What do you mean? What what do you mean? Well, like a like a Jim Cornette or a Bobby Heenan, those are the guys who talk a ton of shit. Yeah. And then when the when the when when it hits the fan

They run as fast as they fucking can, you know? They are they are cowards, shit talking cowards, you know? Yeah. Yeah. Paul Heyman is just shit talk. Yeah. I mean he backs off a little bit, but he just is, I think, you know, um Uh I guess he's positioned to just be able to fucking talk his way out of anything or manipulate or litigate or you know, so he doesn't have the same

level of fear, I guess. I don't know. I mean it's not that he doesn't get scared, but he's not chicken shit in that way. No. But it not at all. Like there's there's no chicken shit. And I'm not saying he has to be Bobby Heenan.

But it it's I I'm just curious, well well what is his character then?'Cause it is like you know'cause even like Even like like Mr. Fuji, which which I would get into arguments with people when I worked at WWE, they'd be like, He's the worst manager they ever had and I'm like N I'm like, yeah, I think you're wrong. I I don't think he's the best, but like

His whole thing was he was all I I mean, it was it was i they would lean into that, you know, the the sneaky Japanese, you know, racist stereotype. But like as far as a manager goes, that's that it like he he plays into the idea of like he's all smiles, everything's nice, and then when your back's turned, he trips you. Yeah, and but also, you know, that thing of the that manager is involved in the game plan. You know. A hundred percent that that they're like, you know, because

There's other examples of folks where you're like, Well, they they come out they walk to the ring with them. You know, they take their jacket or something, but they're not like they don't like people we're talking about at least all have it feels like have some role in the you know, in what what's gonna happen. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Heyman definitely falls into that category. It feels like he's, you know

Here's the game plan. I don't know. He's the he is the he's the oil salesman, the the snake oil sales salesman, the slick, fast talking. But there is also something about like him where it does feel like they don't lean into this. But it was like they they would touch on this with like Captain Lou, where it's like he's the one making the deals and he's he's definitely walking away with the lion's share of the money. You know, that type of thing.

Right. Yeah, you know, I feel like I feel like that would have been um more of a thing in wrestling where Like either the breakup or there's some notion of like, ah, my manager's taking fucking fifteen percent. What the fuck does he do? That he shares 15%, you know? Like I feel like that's a thing that would have been overdone and it hasn't really been done. No, I feel like.

I mean, I don't even remember what the circumstances were when like Hercules Hernandez got mad at Bobby Heenan. If it was like Yeah. If it was related to It must have been a money thing, but then it was like he he he brought out the chains because he's like, You've turned me into a slave. I've I'm like I'm working for you for for nothing. You know, and it was also something about like he sold his contract to Slick or he bought his contract from Slick or there was some

Jimmy, it's a good thing I had my hand on the door when the the this tractor trailer hit it. It almost tore it off the car. You remember those stories Cornette would tell about like Hercules? Like him and his wife were living in the car, like just making towns. They had like fucking like three or four cats. Who also lived in the car with them? No, no, no, no, no, no. Listen, I live in a I live in a full size house and you can't three cats, you can't like They had multiple cats.

In a car. I mean, even when the the last year with the fires, when we were in a hot a regular hotel room with three cats, it's like, come on. Calm on the case. And you remember I told I told Jack what your situation was. I'm like, Well, they're doing all right. They're in a hotel room with uh three cats and a dog. Jack's like, Three cats and a dog in a hotel room, that's my dream. Paradise. For some

I'm ready to tag it. Vince, I am ready to tag. I remember we had to come we had to drive back because I forgot my inhaler. And we got in the hotel room and I was just like, this is this is too much, too much animal in here. There's too much animal in here. Oh man. And then the animal's like, Maybe there's too much vents. Yeah, maybe. Maybe. Maybe we have to agree to disagree.

Strange battle royal. I tell you at first, I didn't even want to ask. I didn't want to sound like stupid or like I wasn't paying attention to the product, but I was like, Is the twenty-one man battle royal here like a reverse battle royal? It it's ba it was basically like Ricochet had to defend his his title against 20 people or whatever. Yeah. Yeah. Did not enjoy it. I was um but at the same time, I was like, you know, maybe battle royals have their place, have a time and a place, but um

Maybe they're not as meaningful as they used to be. Because it really wasn't until like a few years ago when we really started digging into You know stuff that was on the network, stuff from IVP. Um how prevalent I mean I I'm sure it was was was like the you can't throw your pro uh the rule being you can't throw your opponent over the top rope. That that's an immediate disqualification.

Um, and I'm sure that that was the case in WWF at some point, but n i i as late as the seventies, I don't recall that being an issue in the eighties when I was watching. Yeah. But like NWA, mid-south, these types of places, world class even, throw your opponent over the top rope, immediate disqualification. Which made the

I didn't I just thought battle royals were fun because there's 20 guys in the ring. The fact that now it's it's not just legal to throw the guy over the top rope. That's how you win. Right. That's like there's a, you know.

There's something uh genius about that that clearly doesn't tran I mean didn't translate to me as a young viewer thirty years ago. Um I don't know if it's it th because I'm like I'm like why why are they they're they're just not getting in the ring because why?'Cause they want Commander and Ricochet and whoever to do like their high spot?

To the floor? Yeah, it's funny. Like as an old man, like I I was like, I gotta get in there for the battle royal, you know? But it is that thing of like um I I also can't stand that element, whether it's that or a ladder m like w I mean, I understand you have to kind of like go away so that people can get their like spots. Right. But this thing of like, wait, where is is El Clone? Is he still in there?

And then you're like, oh, where's he he I guess he was under the table like you know, that like where they're just completely like gone like to try to make you forget. And uh the other thing of it was this I'm like they did this huge like baby face entrance, Jack Perry, the jungle boy gimmick. He's the last one in. His mom and his sister are in the front row. He cuts a promo about how his dad, who died seven years ago, took him to this building to watch wrestling.

And he's and he and he was suspended when they were here? Last time, so this is the o first time he's ever wrestled in the building. And then he spends three quarters of the match sitting in a chair watching it all go down. And I'm supposed to be on this guy's side. I'm like, this is a this is a problem with the booking.

Yeah. It's uh it's another it's one of those fucking things about like modern wrestling I just like don't totally understand. But no, I don't think I also as I sit here, I don't know what the story I don't know what the story was that put Ricochet in that position either. I don't remember. Probably him being a jerk and running his mouth. I don't know. Uh but it is it's funny the um I mean like I remember the

I've mentioned these before. There was a I'd have to look. There was a a a battle royal on SmackDown in early 2012. Um, that it's it's one of the best battle royals I've ever seen. I think the best battle royal I've ever seen was at the first all in. you know, the pre AEW all in. Um and and that's that's a battle royal where Everybody's in the ring and then they just they ran their spots and people got an opportunity to shine. I think Jordan Grace stole that fucking um that match.

But the one that was on SmackDown, what was interesting about that, it was and it was all mid card guys. It was, you know, your your Heath Slater's and your Santinos and your, you know, the the million dollar players, the primetime players. But what made it M millions of dollars. Millions of dollars. Did every time I was in the I was I brought them into Vince's office to pitch that. He loved it. He loved it. I was like I was like, all right fellas, hold hold on a second. I and I you know, kinda

Go in. Like, boss, you got a second? Like, all right, guys, come in. It's like all right, all right, here's it's here's what we want to do and they just start going. They they cut their little promo, I'll say this, you say this, okay. They cut their little promo and then they're like, millions of dollars, millions of dollars. And I remember Vince was standing in the room and he just goes. Outstanding guys. But uh that battle royal on SmackDown was so good because The show is running long.

So their time got cut. So the producers were like, All right, as soon as that bell rings, everybody just go nuts. And and we just gotta start a limit we gotta rush through this thing. And a battle royal Like at double speed? Yeah. It was fuck it was all action. Yeah. There's no like guys just choking in the corner and like it was just fucking guys were flying. It was bedlam. I gotta rewatch that. It is so fucking good.

Anyway. I s I I I always have a problem with i every year at the Royal Rumble, I'm like this this going through the ropes bullshit. And then you're down on the floor I'm just like a a and any and I swear to God, Jack Perry's feet hit the fucking ground. Ah yeah. There is that too. That was that was ridiculous. Yeah, that was pretty ridiculous. So I don't know. Jungle boy shit.

Oh jungle boy, you ain't shit. You keep wrestling like that, you're never gonna grow up to be a jungle man. Well, they got another pay per view lickety split here they gotta get ready for the big one up there in Vancouver. When's that? I feel like it's definitely in April. I just feel is it really? Yeah. A E dub. You know what I'm talking about, right? I just can't believe This was the first pay per view they've done this year that we're we're halfway through March and they hadn't run anything.

Son of a bitch. Which I mean it is it's you know, Dynasty April twelfth, that's not even I guess it's a little bit under a month. That's Glenn's birthday. Well, you guys might want to take take the red eye into Vancouver. I would love it. I'm sure she would love it. Babes, you've never been to a pay-per-view. You need to experience it at least once. Babes, you would love it. Mmm. Millions dollars. Millions dollars. Millions dollars. Millions dollars.

Dude. Um yes, but what else? There was a lot of good stuff. You know, you love the dogs? Nope. It's this way now. Because it's the dogs. Yeah, how do you how do you feel? Um Your buddy Dave Finley did in his big pay per view debut. First of all, let's talk about Clark Clark Connors from Outta Nowhere fucking spearing Darby. Off of the apron when he shot through the ropes, killed him. Awesome. Uh I mean I think This is Clark's thing, man. He that he did that amazing spear up the steps onto uh

Was it Orange Cassidy the other night on on Dynamite? What you gotta understand is he's one hundred proof. He is drunk as a skunk. So he's ready to do whatever it takes, you know? And then you gotta go home to Tecla? He's drunk as a skunk.

Uh I think Dave Finley's good. I mean we'll see we'll see where he goes here, but I don't I don't have the vitriol for Dave Finley that a lot of folks seem to have. I think that he um he's come a long way. Um I'd like it I'd like a change in the gear and the look.

Well, we'll see what happens here now that he's shunned his own family by not going NXT. It's a fucking riot. He's on his own, so maybe he'll he won't have his old man in his ear saying you oughta Slick your hair back or whatever he's telling'em you know. He should I mean he should cut his hair, he should like completely redo the gear. Dynamic dudes, dynamic dudes, he gets a skateboard maybe and uh Yeah. Dye your hair blonde, get a a backwards baseball hat. Yeah, yeah. Then you're in the hunt.

Get yourself some ray bands with thick neon green frames.

Oakley. Stokely. It ain't no jokely. You want to talk about a spear? Fuck who who jumped on him? Was it Nick Jackson? Big Stoke. Probably. Threw the fucking wheelchair. That was insane. Well, listen, Big Stoke kinda kind of threw powder into his dad into Nick's dad's eyes, so he had it coming, you know. From a seated position. He kinda he you know I mean it it might have been like the time when I was in the old amoeba.

And all of a sudden my throat, I was like, Yeah. Just irritated. And there was it started to happen and then I re they were like, oh, like a homeless person went by and like sprayed pepper spray into the the store. So just at that level was enough to kind of like irritate It's it's in the air, yeah. So I was like that's that's kind of what I think happened with Stokely and and the powder the dad had to go like, Oh well yeah, a little bit. God damn. Yeah, it was so weird. I was like, yeah.

That's fucked up. And then yeah, it turned out someone sprayed some shit into the air. God, that's fucked up. That's fucked up bro. Oh yeah that fucked up. Bro I made it. I made it through. I'm glad you're here. I was okay. Yeah, but you y y you should talk to somebody about it. You know, that's that's just poured some water in my eyes and got on with it. No. It was just the throat. It didn't really it was just like a anyway.

You like you b you've got the uh the junkyard dog bandages on your eyes? Uh yeah, if I you know what? It's totally fine if I could just get that first press of light ride the lightning off the wall. I think we could forget this even happened. You come back with cookie, you're like, I can't even see my dog, my baby.

Can't even see my baby. Where's my baby? Yeah, give me that teen idle seven inch two then. Yup. I I I mean with Finley He's fine, but it's it's like it's it's weird that he's the leader when clearly Gabe Kid has I... I... I... Ten times the fucking charisma. But does Gabe Kid have the leadership skills? He seems like too much of a full blown lunatic, very, very profanic in his language, especially during the

That press conference was something else. They'd they'd a they'd a zoom in, frame out Renee sitting there corpse and send for the man. Yeah, you don't think Moxley swears at home?

My God. The baby's first words were probably Fuck you. Uh well what what I mean w we don't need to stay on Dave Finley then let's talk about what you did like. Well, I didn't even dislike him. I'm I was just curious what your take was. Well let's talk about what you did like. I liked I mean um I think I was I I I r I really fucking liked the um the Young Bucks FTR match. Um I f I you know, and seeing uh Edge and Christian come back out was a lot of fun.

Let's see. Bandito and Andrade. That was really fucking good. Mm-hmm. That was really good. And the but I mean it y there ain't no way Andrade gave that chick his his digits. Type it on an iPhone with his gloves. Yeah. Get outta here. The the problem is he you know, he's that's been what he he does lately. Yeah. Except when he did it in fucking uh

Was it Hog where uh that fucking Charles Mason or whatever just like drop kicked the poor woman? Like someone someone took a fucking an unnecessary blow. Um Uh let's see. Uh let's see what's the point of the thing. I mean, well the real problem is Marina Shafir. All right, pal? Well, and that's that she goes by that name. She is the problem. Um that's the best match I've ever seen her have.

I don't know how many matches I've seen her have, really. Like that had time or anything, you know? Yeah. No, Tony Tony's fucking unreal, dude. I love Rhonda Rousey coming in. Ah. I because it's like for one, the amount of people in the building who were like, oh fuck her, like just made me giggle. Yeah. But beyond that. It's such a hilarious troll, fuck you, to WWE and TKO and UFC. We hate TKO. We hate TKO. Like let's let's do a little business here.

It just Oh my God. So good. Yeah. Yeah. We'll we'll see what happens. I mean, uh they'll probably do a tag or something with like Tony and Mina, right? Maybe I mean she has a legitimate fight coming up, so she may just second Marina and maybe throw a forearm or something. May she may not have a match. I don't know.

I feel like she's gonna she's here to promote her fight. And she's like sure that's cool. And uh there's a match on Wednesday that she'll you know, she's gonna be a second for, I think. Um I do. I love I'm loving all these strange bedfellows of like she's on AEW promoting her show that's on Netflix. Yeah. That has Raw, but UFC didn't want Ronda's fight.

Right. Or or they wanted it but they weren't gonna pay her money. Yeah. Like it it's it's a it's uh it's fucking funny games, man. Fun and games. Yeah. And as as long as uh, you know, we're loading the bottom of the plane of my no fly list.

Uh right next to the gas can is gonna be the box of syringes now. We're gonna we're gonna go ahead and put the syringes on the no fly list with the gas can. Um I'm I'm fine with a flaming table, but you don't need a whole gas can. You can the the lighter fluid stays, the gas can gets loaded on the no fly list. Well that's what it was is is they did so much in that match. And then they're off to the side, setting up a table.

We want fire, chant breaks out. And Vince Averill turns to me and goes, see, here's the fucking problem. Uh yeah. And the other the other thing I, you know, of all the Random things that end up underneath a wrestling ring.

Like does Nana have to go and secure a cinder block? Is that like'cause otherwise I just don't know that a cinder block is hanging out. Maybe maybe it's just It would be worth if I was there, I would pitch at some point, I'm like, Can we just make a video like during the day once we've loaded in and everything's settled?

Just just for the internet. It'll it'll fucking go viral. Just a few moments of either Stokely or Nana or MJF or Hangman, just them all trying to casually wander into the building and like hide their weapons under the because it The the the the illogic of it like'cause at one point it's like, okay, it makes sense there's extra chairs under the ring, there's extra tables under the ring. They don't even use those kind of tables anymore for the announcers, but it's like

At one point it made sense. Right. You know, like the raw vault, which we will get to, which I did do my homework this week. when like Cactus Jack is pulling shit out of the back, it's like Like this is like that's the only match you've ever seen one of those snow shovels because he legitimately just grabbed a snow shovel that was at Madison Square Garden, you know? Right. Right.

No, I mean, I would love to see, you know, the like the way that that would be a great troll too, because like the way WWE always shows people coming in. It's like Nana. Like two hands on a duffel bag in front of him, kind of shuffling because it's like so heavy, you know? There's just a cinder block in a fucking duffel bag, and he's like, you know.

And then like somebody walks up to say hi to him. He's like, What no no no no, I'm not doing nothing. He like sets it down for a second. He's like, Uh yeah. My friend, fuck off. He picks it back up. So go get me a coffee. Yeah.

So fucking funny. Uh Moxley Takeshida was fucking great. Yeah. I don't I you know of all the things I don't understand about our old buddy Jim Cornette. I just don't understand um his his thoughts on Moxley as a wrestler. He just thinks Moxley is the worst wrestler that's ever walked the the planet Earth. And I know that obviously it's it's born out of something else.

But just to try to maintain that idea, it just like it just isn't there's just no fucking I uh you know what'd be interesting is does the audio or video exist where Cornette says about anyone at any point, you know what? I gotta admit I was wrong. Yeah. Uh I I was I completely misunderstood. Uh, you know what I've come around on this guy?

Yeah. You know, any anything like that. Well yeah, it may it makes you wonder, um, you know, after he after him and his him and his wife fucking scream at each other, has he ever reentered the room? Well, goddamn, you know I was uh All right, you know, I I I I went a little too far. I mean he did he did write me or she wrote me that email after they

Called me a fucking stupid idiot. Those g tell them that story real quick if they don't know. Uh the when the the Midnight Express scrapbook first came out in like Two thousand and fucking eight or so I don't even know. And it was like the first thing that they had done. in any capacity really, like online. And so right when it went on sale I bought it and they didn't have their shit done correctly. So like the money was going in the wrong place and they were scrambling, whatever.

And somehow in their mind, like, you know, it was the person who's who bought its fault. Right. And so I get this email that his wife intends for whoever's in charge of the website or something, going these stupid fucking like mark idiots, whatever are are still sending money to the wrong place or something. So I just reply. I'm like, I'm sorry. I just was I was really excited to buy the book and I didn't if I caused any problems, you know.

And then I get this email back and it's like, it's from him, right? I'm sure transcribed. It's like, God damn, I blew a snap bubble when I realized a stafe C sent the wrong email and we love you, whatever. And my book, it says like. I can't remember what the inscription is, but it definitely is my great friend and I'm once again, you know, you are you know, like Tremendous. Little little peek behind the curtain of uh how you're thought of sometimes. Yeah.

Uh Swerving Brody was great. This whole fucking thing was great. Um that's how they kind of do it on pay-per-view over there. Yeah. I tell you, dude Also didn't I mean I know you know sitting at home is different. But once again, being there live, I didn't I wasn't like looking at my watch. You know, other than like at one point I was like, oh, it's after midnight in the east.

But I but it wasn't because I was like No. Randy That crowd was up the whole fucking time. The the only thing that made me tired was uh eventually during the main event, everybody was just standing. Right. And then like the next day I'm like, God damn, my feet fucking hurt. Yeah. But no, I j Holy shit, that main event was forty six minutes long?

I oh yeah,'cause uh I saw someone wrote um how much wrestling there was on Raw and then it was just like it was just a couple seconds less than that that match. So funny. Um I I'm just looking real quick. Yeah, I mean they do such a um because I remember somebody being like There's someone not with our group. Uh during mox and Takeshita was complaining that it was it was slow. And I'm like, well in my mind I'm like, the match just fucking started.

Right. And then now looking, it's like they went twenty three minutes. I'm like, Yeah, they're building to but but the explanation given by his friend, again, not anybody I knew. was just like, well, they gotta follow the Young Bucks. Young Bucks gotta go. And I'm like And then I'm looking at the rest of the card, I'm like, man, the every fucking match just fucking built on the previous one. I've I even the women's tag

They were able to follow Mox and Takeshra. I don't think it was better or as good, but I mean it's a five fucking minute match, you know? Yeah. It's it's it's it's it's what it was. But like Tecla and s and Statlander Fucking God is the Tecla has so much goddamn charisma, it's it's crazy. It's crazy how um She gets the people so fucking worked up and fired up.

It's a ride. And Statlander, I'll go to my grave repeating it every fucking second. Like I think she's the most underrated wrestler in that company. Chakla I think still has a uh warrant for her arrest in Japan for what she did to uh

Hey man, I'm so I'm I don't want to go to the deposition, but we were right there when it happened. We were She might even the Las Vegas authorities could be involved'cause that's where it went down. I mean at this point, yeah. It's an international incident, Vincent. Mm.

Be uh well you hope she don't get arrested at WrestleCon. They don't come in and put the c try to put the cuffs on her. Um the trios match Might have been my favorite match of the night. I mean, that god, that, god damn, that was so fun. Because they also like just the fact that. There's something I just I appreciate the effort of You know, it's almost like it's almost like something you would see at a Survivor series in like nineteen ninety one where it's like

Oh, Mystico is team captain, then we're all gonna wear Mystico masks. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know? Like, oh, the Cows family, we're all gonna have letterman jackets. Right. You know? That was great. With DCF on the back. It's It was just fucking good. And then I mean every time Mystico and Okada paired up, Carlos just like the greatest Mexican wrestler of all time, the greatest Japanese wrestler of all time.

Andradi and Bandito was f absolutely phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. Oh my God. And then uh I mean the the the Tornadoes Triers match was great. Yeah, I mean it's just and I love the main event, but again, it's just like certain things it's just like Is this necessary? Yeah. Cause what's strange is it it no longer feels like and I guess it it's just the evolution of the business. There are minds out there who could

work within it or work around it. But it's like a match like that, it doesn't feel like a fight. It just feels like different episodes of here's the awful thing. You know, it's just they're just spots where it's just like There seems to be some psychology in these, like in a match like when these things take place. Like that one or last year with um Tony and Mariah. Like at least you'cause we we've seen plenty of

uh death matches where there's just you're it's just wanton violence, yeah. But, you know, and i I guess it's just my my flavor, but I I I wouldn't have hated to just see'em have a wrestling match again, you know, like

Well that's just in my, you know. Well, and I'll get to the um we'll get we'll we we can jump into the raw vault right now. Yeah. But like Once you got to that main event of Bread Hard versus Gold Dust, I was like. There's Just to skip ahead. Yeah. I mean, when you have Cactus Shack and Triple H

And that's a that's a match that it's funny. I had it on last night and Glennis came in. She's like she's like, How many times have you watched this match? And I like it. This ain't the same one. It's it is it is in the it's gotta be in the hundreds, you know? um, between McFoley mixtapes I've had and then once I got, you know, copies of Raw, once it was out on D V D, like, you know.

And it and and and I still get the same goosebumps, the same hairs standing up um during that opening like video where it's dude love talking to mankind and then Cactus Jack comes in. And then they do that match and it's like, man, it's crazy how Much this type of wrestling has changed compared. Like you take that match, which at the time I'm like, this is the this is one of the craziest things that's ever happened on Raw. to what Hangman and MJF did on Sunday. And you're like, this is it's it's

they are galaxies apart. Right. You know, of of the amount of shit that's stuffed in, the violence, the the the gimmick tree, uh gimmicks, you know, the all of it. Yeah. But also c can you not also go like looking at whatever y that would have been ninety seven? The Yeah. And then ever I mean, everything else b even beyond wrestling, like what

You know, like just in media, in in TV and whatever, you know, just that that wholesale change. Well, I think and then and then here's my point. Then you get to Bret Hart and Goldust. Which immediately on paper I'm like, Oh, these two are gonna have a hell of a match and then they start going at it and I'm like And this is better. Yeah. I'm like, this is better than Cactus and Triple H. This is better than MJF and Hangman. Because and and it's like this can go toe to toe with any match.

in the modern twenty twenty six era because it's these two are working the art form because it's like

W when you take a hardcore match, it's okay, now we're gonna up it this time. Now, okay, we went through one table, we're gonna go through two. Now we're gonna go through three tables. Now we're gonna light them on fire. Now we're gonna have like and then it's like And then you wind up with people chanting, We want fire because it's like once you when when the match is just the gimmick or the spot

It you have to keep topping it. Whereas when the match is about the actual art form of the simulating of the fight and how well you can do that. then it's you separate the men from the boys where it's like there were punches that Goldust was throwing on Bret Hart where I'm like, he punched him full force in the face. I mean there's no there's no And then why isn't there a red mark? Why isn't there a red mark on my face, McMahon? You know?

It's like these two know what the fuck they're doing. And then it also got me wondering, I was like, Had these two ever wrestled before? Like how often did these two like th these two should have done a whole program? Right. At any rate. All right. Yeah, bro. That's how it went down on Netflix. All right. The Raw Vault, September twenty second, nineteen ninety seven. Madison Square Garden. Ever heard of it?

Opens opens with an amazing uh Madison Square Garden history package. What time w how how much time do we have? What time do you need to jump off? Uh, you know, within yeah, whatever we can do here, five ten, something. I'll get through this. No, no, no, no, no. I I was just looking at my notes and I was like, Okay We open up with Rocky Mayavia with the nation of domination.

It's the Intercontinental Championship Tournament. No longer taking place in Rio de Janeiro. Uh he's in there with Ahmed Johnson. Ahmed's coasting on fumes at this point. Uh we get Stone Cold in the crowd cutting a promo. The Stone Cold at the height of the they won't let me wrestle, but I'm here anyway. Yeah. We get a laser tag s commercial starring Sable and Howard Finkel. Um

Floyd Patterson is in the crowd. He's the uh the head of the New York State Athletic Commission. Strange but strange time. Almost as strange as the pairing of Howard Finkel and Sable in that fucking laser tag commercial, but Don't get me started. We see stills from the uh United Kingdom pay-per-view one night only. The heartbreak Git Shawn Michaels has secured the European championship. Conveniently after Davy Boy Smith dedicated the match to his sister who had cancer.

What one of the stills, people were throwing bottles in the I I need to go watch this match. I don't know if that I ever have. But uh people were so upset that Shawn Michaels won that match there were like bottles in the ring. And some of'em I was like, some of those bottles look brown. I think those people were throwing glass, which the fact that they were still

Like serving glass bottles? Like what? That doesn't make any sense. But some guy brought in a whole fucking VHS camcorder one time. So, you know, you can probably at that point you can bring a six pack in. But I mean, it was like when when Shawn Michaels came out later and on on Raw at the Garden to cut a promo, somebody threw a bottle at him up on the stage and he like ducked it.

Mm-hmm. And it's like it's it's it's the G CW thing where it's like, Oh, they're throwing trash and bottles and shit in the ring. And it would only be like a year or two later where on the ticket would say no laser pointers. Jesus Christ. We're about to enter that era. Yeah.

We get uh Undertaker's music, Vince McMahon interviews him in the ring. Vince McMahon. Undertaker and then eventually Shawn Michaels comes out and interrupts. All three of them refer to the match as Hell in the Cell. Hell in the Cell. And then when they show the graphic, it is Hell in a Cell. Bernstein, Bernstein. It it has always been this Like thing of and I d I love that Vince of all people. Hell in the cell. Hell in the cell sounds better. It always has. Yeah.

What are you gonna do? It's this cell right here, in this very cell. This is the one. It's the cell. Not just any cell. Right. Helen a cell. It could be any cell. Right. Parts are known. Could be anywhere. Um also I need to check the archives. It's not easily accessible now because of the amount of stuff like I have stuff kinda pushed in a corner to then repopulate. I'm playing Tetris with the collection.

But I need to watch this raw because they fade to black and they cut something out. I'm like th th something was deleted. I th I will report back. Sunny comes out to do ring announcing, probably drunk. Legion of Doom Nation of Domination, Kama and Farouk. Uh, they go at it. Classic DQ bullshit finish. D Lo and Rock interfere. Ahmed comes in. They all beat the shit out of him. Owen Hart comes down. Brian Pillman, he comes down with Marlena.

Marlena dressed in a leather bra and miniskirt with a nose ring. Somehow Pellman has Pellman won some obvious obviously we're watching this in pieces. We're not getting the whole story of everything. Yeah. Pillman beat Goldust and s there was some stipulation where he gets Marlena.

Right.'Cause he we it finally came down to like he'cause Pillman had been wearing a dress and he was like, All right, like if we do this, yeah. So he he owns Goldust's wife somehow now. To the point that he could have her nose pierced. To the point that he's on the mic talking about them having sex. You know? So I don't even know. Attitude era. Did you see Triple H was like wrestling is bigger now than

It's like, well, listen, man. Is that what he said? He said something like, Yeah, wrestling's bigger now than it than it was during the Attitude era. It's like, Yeah, I don't think so. I mean may like yeah, whatever, it doesn't matter. I mean, you you got richer people spending more money on it. Yeah. Ain't nobody going on the fucking uh, you know whatever. When's the last time a wrestler was on Regis? Uh ain't seeing fucking Cody Rhodes hosting Saturday live. Okay.

That's for sure. Uh let's see.

Oh, so uh but he he he has his arm and uh Brian Pillman has his arm in a in a sling because um after having sex with Gold Dust's wife he he was in the tub and he fell. Hurt his arm. So he forfeits the mats to to to Owen Hart. And um y you know, th they decide that Owen will advance in the Intercontinental Championship tournament. It just worked out that way. Well, Sergeant Slaughter, the commissioner, he uh comes to the ring and he's like, Where are your x rays?

Where's your doctor's report? Uh oh. So they wind up having to have a match and uh Goldust comes in, chases Brian Pillman away. Owen Hart declares himself the winner at the end. And then Steve Austin uh waffles him from behind. Uh and again, he is not booked to wrestle. He is jumping the railing. Which is it and it this this segment in and of itself, it's like a wrestler jumping the railing and attacking some you'd you'd think all these masked men

would would would, you know, garner the attention of the local authorities. But No, Steve Austin jumps the railing and the NYPD with Billy Clubs out are ready to destroy this dude. I don't like the cut of his Gibb. Vince McMahon jumps up from the announce table. Intervenes. He's like, you, you, you and this, this segment, this is a two-star segment. This is this is an all-time classic. Austin versus McMahon. This is this is this is the beginning of the beginning. Yeah. And

You're not well. Your doctors haven't cleared you. You don't want to wind up hurting your body worse. And then Stone Cold says Oh I and and McMahon says to him, You need to work within the system. Then Stone Cold says Screw that. And he stuns McMahon. And it is Shockwaves. They replay this four times the rest of the night. Sure. I mean Mc and McMahon never comes back. It's it's King and and Jim Ross calling the action the rest of the night.

And Stone Cold gets uh arrested. So it's fantastic. Uh rest in peace to Dick the Bulldog Brower. Does that name ring a bell to you? Uh only from the observer. Um... Jerry the King Lawler interviews Rhonda Shear from USA all night. You ever watch that? Eventually Gilbert Godfrey was uh co host and host of it. I remember the show, I don't think I ever watched it. It's a movie it was a movie show. She would you know, she would introduce a horrible night. All night.

Uh we get Triple H versus Cactus Jack. And again, I gotta give this two stars. This is the first time Cactus Jack shows up in WWF. Glennis is over it. Buddy, this match, absolutely tremendous. Falls count anywhere. Uh Heartbreak Kid cuts a promo on the stage about The Undertaker, dodges a giant bottle. Uh DX, which doesn't even have a name yet. Uh they jumped the Undertaker. And then we got Bradhardt versus Gold Dust, uh which ends in a D X beatdown at the end.

Absolutely, you know what? And goddamn, Brethart and Goldust, I could have give that a star. I was so this is a tremendous episode of I'm gonna give this whole episode of Raw a star. This is a tremendous Monday night Raw.

There you go, kids. Vince. Yeah. Who's your favorite wrestler? I think it's gonna be Mystico. Real He's all elite now, you know. But uh that match was really great and uh I'm always up for some Mystico. So I'm gonna go with Mystico. And yourself, man. I gotta go with uh Tecla. I was just Toxic Spider. I mean, of that entire show and and everything that happened and all the great wrestling and all the great personalities, I was still like she is masterful at, you know, engaging the people. Yeah.

Absolutely. Where can the kids find for Guinea, where can the kids find you online? At Vince Averil on Twitter, Vince.averil on Instagram. And this is your old pal Matt McCarthy saying, follow me on all forms of social media at McCarthyRedhead. And if you want to join the video movie club, get yourself a membership card to the video garage and access to full unedited videotapes, do so on my Patreon. Thank you to all our patrons. We love you and we'll see you later this week. Bye bye.