Story Time with Ariel Helwani

as the Great Hill. Wanni. Now stopping up to the mic, the host of Wrestling with Freddie, Freddie Prince, Junior, Ladies and gentlemen, A good friend of the show, Mr Ariel Hall Wanni. How are you, sir? Oh? I'm doing so well. It is such an honor to be here. I would argue that I'm the biggest fan of this program. My routine is every Wednesday morning as I drive to do my show the May Hour, I listened to you and I love story Time with Freddy. I mean, you are

one of the all time great storytellers. The ends are great, A J. Lee's great, all the stuff, But to hear you tell these stories with the passion and the detail and the exuberance of something that happened eleven years ago. You're telling it to us like it happened yesterday. It's amazing. I love everything about it. I can't get enough. I'm sad when it and so it's a huge honor for me to be here. You, uh, you've encouraged me a lot through this process. I told you about this project

before I told anyone outside my wife. UM, and you've been so good to me throughout this and I appreciate your advice and and just and just you saying yes and come in to talk today. I always have fun when I go and do your show. Um. I wish I was like a regular guest that came in and did like your bets or something, but I don't know anything about gambling, so that wouldn't work out well. But I'm glad to have you on because you love professional wrestling.

And I learned this by watching your show and seeing you and the great Daniel Cormier go in on one of the one of the great ones. Oh no the rocks the great one, but one of the one of the also great ones book or t and you guys didn't back down at all. You were good on the mike. You were like they had these old school manager eighties vibes where I was just like, oh my, this is like he's in the Crockett territory right now. Um, when did you fall in love with wrestling? Well, first of all,

what a great compliment. Um, before it's all said and done, before this journey called life is done, I would I would love just just one time, just let me be that old school he'll manager. I would love to do it. And I think Daniel Cormier would be a perfect guy because of his you know, his chops as the All American, the Olympia and all that stuff. Um. So I've grown up admiring those guys, in particular Bobby the Brain, the Slickster, Mr Fuji, Paul Hayman, m v P. Now I love

those guys, uh. I remember, I mean my earliest days just as a human being involved wrestling, Like I remember vividly being at Avenue Video in Montreal in TMR shopping center. None of your listeners except for the ones I grew up in Montreal will know what I'm talking about. And there was the WrestleMania one box with Mr ten Hull Hogan and I remember renting it, um, and I was four years old. It was probably eighties six that I

rented it. It It happened in eighty five, of course, but I was four and eighties six, and I remember telling my parents I wanted to rent this. And then I had a massive box of lj N toys, the old school ones, right, you know, like the rubber ones, massive box, and I would record cards, like I would put the cam quarter next to the ring, and I would like lay out all the guys and I would do a

whole card. I would let it run for like two hours, and I would do all the matches, would sit there with my legs cross and do all the matches, and so, you know, like my my first memories of being a fan of anything is me being a pro wresting fan. I'll never forget first grade, my birthday. They're having a house show at the Montreal Forum on a Friday night, and everyone in school was talking about it. Everyone was saying, they're going, They're going, and I wasn't going, and I

was so bummed. I remember my friend wore a Hercules t shirt to school and I remember being so jealous that I wasn't going. And I remember that Friday night playing soccer with my brothers in the basement, and I remember seeing it was a basement. We had like some windows at the top and I remember seeing some some like legs walking by and I was like, wait a second, I think that's my and I'm in the first grade.

I think that's my friends shoes up there. So I run upstairs and all my friends are waiting for me in our kitchen. My parents got us all tickets to the Muntreal for him to go to the house show, my first event live and I'll never forget my favorite guy with Brett to him and Heart. And he went up against Mr Perfect and they went the distance and Brett was dead tired. He rolled over Mr Perfect and it went one too and the bell went off and they went to the time limit, and so it ended

up being a draw. Like I remember this in my brain when I was a kid, and I would get shot. Sorry for going along, but I get passionate when I talk about this. My mom said to me, think of something you love to make you not think of the shot. And I my choice was Bret Heart went in the World Championship before he ever wanted for the first time. That's what I would pick to make me feel happy and forget about the shot. So these are my early memories of being a wrestling fan and wife, so finally

of it. So what you said in the very beginning of the podcast where you said you just like to sit back and listen because it feels like yesterday, that's literally what you just did. And it always brings me back to the magic of professional wrestling. And we're of an age pre Montreal screw job, which I wanna get into with you, because you had the pleasure or the displeasure depending on how you look at it, of actually being there. But when I was a kid, it was magical,

it was real. I've never had a bad memory from a professional wrestling show ever, and so when I even when I worked there, and even on days that we're awful days like I still remember sneaking away, like into the side holes where like guys would do run ins and stuff, and I just watched the matches for free, basically because as a kid we couldn't really even though the most affordable ticket my dad earned money for a year and I promised we didn't get any of it,

so we grew up with nothing. Man, my mom worked two jobs, so wrestling was sort of where I found my father. Figures, right, the guys I I've always wanted to be big, and I just want to be giant and buff just once. It just wasn't in the genetic pool for me. But I worshiped those guys, and then when I got to meet some of them and see

their humanity and relate to him, it made it. This will sound weird to everyone but you or other wrestling fans, it made the investment that I put in emotionally all worthwhile because the Undertaker was awesome, because the Big Show was awesome, because Sergeant Slaughter was awesome, even though he turned us back on America. Um. But it was a magical moment for me, and I didn't get to go see a show until post Montreal Screwjob. I'm wondering, I want now if you could. This is the only thing

you have that I'm jealous of. Okay, yeah, I'm not jealous of your martial arts connections. I got martial arts connections to baby, I'm not. I'm not jealous of your Canadian connections. I got Canadian homies to shout out Keith calub Um. But you got to go to the match of all matches, the most discussed match in the history of wrestling, all around the world, regardless of what country you're from. Um, you were at the Montreal screw job. Can you do you remember what the day was? Like?

Do you remember? Tell me? Ever, what did you eat for breakfast? Like? What what happened? Makes crazy about that story? Um? So eighties hardcore wrestling fan, hardcore hardcore hardcore around ninety four. Now, I actually fall out of love with wrestling, and I fall in love with the NBA. I was a huge NBA fan. That was my big thing. So like I started to love like n B A and F. I was a big Knicks fan. They were having a great year. The Bills were my favorite football team. I was a

huge Montreal expost baseball fan. So like I really started to get involved in um, like the regular sports, right, So like that era of and it was kind of like an up and down era for you know, w WF at the time they're they're they're trying to figure themselves out. Here comes you know, WCW all that stuff. And so I'm actually um at my driving lessons course, right and side note about me? As you like to say, what do you like to say? What's the what do you say when side quest? Uh? So I don't know

how it is where you grew up in Quebec. You have to pass your permit and then pass your actual test as a driver. Failed the permit twice, got it on the third time, failed the test four times, got it on the fifth time. I had to go back eight times total to get this damn license. Um. Anyway, one of the times, I'm sitting with my good friend Jason Tacofman and we're in the cafeteria after I failed another test of my permit, and he's telling me that

the Survivor series is coming to Montreal in November. Now, no pay per view had ever come to Montreal, and I'm pretty sure at that point, I mean, there was maybe one or two in Canada, but never came to Montreal.

And I grew up. The pay per views are never available live, like I remember vividly trying to find WrestleMania six somewhere and not being able to find it live like I would always have to wait till the following Saturday afternoon Maple Leaf Wrestling, you know, me and Jean would go through the results and then I would have to wait a month till it came out Coliseum Home video.

So like the fact that a pay per view was coming to Matreal, even though I wasn't really following the product with mind blowing, and we said we had to go, so we bought tickets and we went. So he brings me up to speed. Now we're at this ninety seven and fifteen. The internet is just starting right, and so we're somewhat aware of what's going on, but we're not

so aware. And I'll never forget. I remember where I went to dinner the night before, actually a restaurant called Weinstein and Gavino was in downtown Montreal, Like I remember everything about that weekend, and I remember going and the first thing I hit me were all the signs in the crowd, because again I hadn't really been watching the product, so it was the air of like all the Neon signs, and I'm like, what the hell is this? Like this wasn't a thing five years ago. And I remember like

a few things hit me, the oddities. I was like, whoa, these dudes came out with like a cartman doll and stuff that's freaking weird. I remember Sable. I'll be honest, I'm fifteen years old, and like this woman comes out in the leather outfit and you're like, holy sh it, this is not the wrestling that I grew up in in the eighties, Like it was like mind blowing for a teenager. Um And so I remember Sonny, I remember

all these things. I remember Kane, and then I remember the main event, and now, so Bret Hart was my favorite, like my first favorite athlete, right, I love this guy, I leave was everything that I wanted to be Canadian superherot, the coolest glasses, the pink I love pink till this day, the hair, everything, and so I and I know Sean Michaels. Of course I hated Sean Michael's and so the people around us were telling us what was going on, and there were rumors that this was gonna be the last match,

and then of course it ends. Now when you're high up like I was, you're not really quite sure, like did he tap? Did he not tap? Like I can't pretend like I knew exactly what Earl Hevner did, But I sure as hell stayed till the very end, and I remember vividly him trashing everything, trashing the monitors, trashing the announced table, and then I remember him doing w c W with his hands, you know, with his finger, and I was like, what the hell this is nuts?

And so like this is like a Sunday night, and you know, I'm in high school and stuff. I go home and I'll never forget going into my basement and being like open. The world of internet wrestling just hit me scoops Wrestling dot Com and rajah w W and reading everything, and that ignited and then I became a

bigger fan than I ever was. And I remember Brett screwed bread and all this stuff, and so it was funny, like it was my reintroduction and it was also what got me to fall in love once again with progressing and get so far into it more so than I was as a kid. Okay, so that's gonna lead me to my next thing, because it's a it's a section of wrestling that you and I disagree on. But for those who are listening that that and I hear this a lot on social media, They're like, I don't know

anything about wrestling. I just like hearing these stories. What Ariel just shared with you is so significant in the wrestling business because every single thing about it changed until this moment. People within the industry did not comment on the fact that it was choreographed and the results were predetermined. It just wasn't discussed. People outside the business did. And all of a sudden on a promoter is gonna lose his top wrestler to his competitors. So it's like the

Lakers losing Shack to the Celtics. Brett hated this man so much that he refused to do it. So the owner of the company, Vince McMahon, makes a choice that in a submission hold, he's just gonna tell the ref say that Bret Hart tapped and get me my title back. And they actually freaking did this. And every wrestling fan on earth has obsessed over this. Every person in the business have done like four hour like deep dives on this.

And you're getting to hear it from someone who is actually there, and you said, this moment is what brought you back and you fell in love with what was known and still is known as the Attitude era of wrestling. Am I right? That is? I mean like at that point now was all in. By the way, I don't know if you've ever seen the documentary Wrestling with Shadows Um, but it's about that story and and on the building I mean the access that those guys got. I've seen

that documentary maybe fifteen times. I love Maybe my Dad and Beyond the Mat probably my two favorite wrestling documentaries. So if there's any non wrestling fans listening to this, I high the suggest those and yes. So at that point, like I'm all in in Canada at the time, in Montreal, we didn't even get Raw live. Raw would come on sometimes at eleven, sometimes at twelve, sometimes at one am. So it was like it was really tough in those days to be a fan, and you guys were really

lucky that you would get things live. You would get Nitro live, Like we didn't get that stuff live. Only like late nineties didn't start to become, you know, a thing where it would actually be live for us as well. My family got a satellite dish, so it became easier. When I was in college, I was so lonely and I was so homesick, and I had horrendous social anxiety to the point where like when I was living in a dorm my my first year, I would wait till like two three am until I heard no one in

the hallways just to go brush my teeth. So I wouldn't have to interact with anyone. I would eat almonds for dinner because I didn't want to go to the cafeteria and have dinner around any kids. My only friend with pro wrestling. I watched everything. I would even order Wednesday night ten A pay per views if you remember that every Wednesday they would do the team I would watch that Ciena SmackDown Raw. I was watching old w CW. I was going back into the archives finding it like

that was my only friend. In fact, I had speech um, a persuasive speech. Final. My persuasive speech was, I am going to persuade you to order WWF Judgment Day this Sunday because it was the first time that both belts were gonna be on the line. Chris Jericho ends up becoming the you know, the undisputed champion. That was my project and I got an a for it. That was like, that's how hardcore I was about wrestling at that time.

So uh yeah, it was great, Like that era was amazing and it's it's it's a it's a thing that I hold near and dear to my heart. I want to back up for a second. Why do you think you got so this was college Why do you think you got so lonely? Was it? Did loneliness lead you to wrestling? Or were there not wrestling fans They're wrestling Midge led to the loneliness? What. I'm sure there were fans that I could have bonded with, that I could

have watched things with. I was. I am very very close to my parents, and I'm very close to my mom, and uh, I wanted to go live this dream of going to see I'm very goal oriented and and I believe, like, you know, you only get one life, and I don't want to be eighty five and regret that, you know, I didn't go for it, and I was. I was taken by the magic of TV and like getting beamed into someone's home and people sitting around and watching you and your you know Howard Cosell right, Like I grew

up idolizing these people. So, um, I wanted to go, and I knew I had to go, but it would break my heart seeing her cry when I would leave. It would break my heart. Um missing like my friends in the community that I grew up in Montreal, no one goes away to college, Like it's not a part of the culture. All my friends, stayed home, lived at home, went in party together, like I missed everything, and so I just felt really really um out of place, and I felt like I was like sacrificing the person to

life for the professional dream. And I just it was crippling. I mean, I went to see a therapist that didn't work out. It was it was really really it was the worst three years of my life. If I didn't do it, I don't know if I end up where I am now. So I'm glad that I did it. But I mean that this was like, you know, get the f out time, you know, this was like Wrestleman twenty, Like wrestling was the one friend. I mean, I had stacks of tapes. It was all I did, all I watched,

all I thought about. It was the only thing that got my mind off of how depressed I was. It's it's crazy the emotional sacrifice that has to be made on a daily basis to pursue what people call a crazy dream, right like, to to to accomplish something that big requires an amount of selfishness. And I don't mean that in a bad way. I just mean you have to focus on self. The goal oriented people. I think understand this, and it's usually the people I click with

the most. And oddly enough, every one of our guests have kind of broken this down similarly to to the way you have. Um, but this I remember when I was a young actor and booking movies and they didn't shoot anything in Hollywood anymore because of tax breaks and other states and countries and things like that, and I had to leave everything that made me comfortable. I my godfather was Bob Wall who we just lost last week.

He passed away. Um oh no, you know. He was a wonderful man and and introduced me to so many, so many other father figures that I had in my life, but he was the most predominant one for certain. But I remember having to leave him and his wife and my two god sisters for my first movie. And it was a small nothing bar Bro. I had like three little scenes, but it was a Michelle fight for movies. So I was excited and I only I was there like six weeks. I only worked like four days, and

every other day was just loneliness. There was no cell phone, there was no anything back then. It was just loneliness, and I remember just wanting to come home. I wasn't getting to train martial arts. There were no martial arts academies on Nantucket. They dyed my hair this crazy blonde color, so none of like the local hoity toity shops would like serve me food. They were like, get out of here. I'm like, what are you talking about. I don't want to look like this. I'm an actor. Get out of

here and punk. I'm like, oh my god, like it was, I hated it. I bought a kite. I think I was like nineteen. I bought a kite and just went to the beach and the guy dude, I was like, yo, what is my life right now? But that's that's sadness. I think is necessary to accomplish big dreams. You know, it's not there's nothing scary about not leaving, and there's nothing wrong with that. But if you have a dream

and it's a big one, it's gonna be scary. You're gonna be afraid, and putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation is the best way for you to grow and developed the the emotional skills and the skills necessary for the dream itself and then have them come true. And I look at and I've watched your career forever. Man. Like Bob wall was the first investor in UFC one, he didn't make any of the billions, right, it was just a one time little deal and they all took a

bath on it. But like I've watched you from the beginning of your career, from the first time I saw you talk M M A and whatever year it was. Dude, you were so young. You looked like just a punk kid, and I just wanted to punch you in the face. And I watched I did, dude, well you know, like me could You just were like you were just young. And I was like, man, he's like stirring it up, man, And I was just you know what I mean. And I was I was so old school from Bob Ball

and all those guys, you know what I mean. So it was just like who is this guy? And then I just watched you like grow and grow, and I saw how much you actually cared about the fighters, even though you had a job to do. And I found you to be and I don't maybe it's just the sport that allows you more room to kind of circumnavigate back and forth where you can protect the fighters, do your job or because it's very hard to protect an ego and to be a journalist at the same time. Right,

Like it's it's just it's just difficult. I've I've seen it from the other end where I'm like, they didn't mean to be disrespectful. God, that question is brutal, and I just don't want to have to answer that. So it's it's tough. And I've seen you be able to do that from a kid who was at the Montreal screw job to the to the highest of highs in the industry. Like you've done the corporate thing, You've done to build your own empire thing. Now you're in the

happiness phase. Like it's just crazy to see. And I would like to say that it's all because of Bret Hart. I won't say just Bret Hart, but it's all because of A wrestling. I am not an m m A fan. If it's not for pro wrestling m m A. Anyone who argues against the fact that m m A was born out of pro wrestling m m as roots are firmly intrenched in the proressling you are kidding yourself. There

is no m m A without pro wrestling. I mean, just even going back to Antonio and Oki and Muhammad Ali in the seventies like this, Yes, but but it was like the pro wrestler guy you know and who you know, who knows what was real what wasn't. But the point is, like this sport, the best of m m A is when it borrows from pro wrestling. Like the guys who are the biggest stars are the characters, are the guys who are larger than life, the entrances,

all that stuff is all from pro wrestling. And then you have guys now like Israel Adrisania who's like, yeah, I grew up in the Attitude era and like the rock and booker tea and he's freaking out because bookers in the press conference like look at him, look at the showman that he is, look at the star that he has become because he understands how to sell and

how to promote and all this stuff. So yes, uh, you know it's funny because post graduation, I like and down the route of TV production and it led me to actually becoming good friends with Kurt Angle because I was working for Spike TV, and uh, I got to write like a little mini like a short film for Kurt when he moved over to t n A and

we really developed a great relationship. And in fact, one of the things he told me early on was that I reminded him of Brian Gowertz because of the Syracuse connection, because you know, he just said that to me, and I was like, I'll take that as a compliment. Um, I've mentioned Brian, of course, yes, um, and I've asked you about you know about Brian a little bit. But um, we became he wanted to punch me in the face the way I wanted to punch you. I get I get it, get it. Kurt was the one who told

me about the Chris ben Wah tragedy. He told me before it got out, Like that's how close we were that he found out. He text me about it. And the ben Wah thing actually like soured me on wrestling, and uh, I would like, you know, check in, check out, check in, check out. But really like now what got me back really into it? And it's been like the

greatest joy is pandemic hits. There's nothing going on. There's that WrestleMania you're you know the one at the Performance Center where Drew goes over and uh, the match between um, the fiend and Sina was just like cinematic art. In my opinion, it was amazing. They took a big chance with that, and then I don't know if every part of that match worked for everyone, and I've heard a lot of people criticizing it, but I never slam people for trying to take a chance and doing something different.

I liked a lot of that parts of that. I like the aj styles taker cinematic match as well, like I like when people take chances. It's funny you mentioned the Ben Wall thing. You know, I've never talked about it on this podcast, but that curd angle Chris Ben Wah match um in Boston is my favorite match of all time, and it was weird when it's not weird.

When the ben Wah thing happened, I felt, and still to this day, even with all the information I have about what actually happened with ben wa on now, I still feel awkward sometimes saying that that's my favorite match ever. I'll still say, you know what I mean, But I've never seen two wrestlers make me think it was real the whole time since I was a little kid. Until I saw that match, and I was just like, they didn't stop moving for twenty five minutes like it was.

It was the scene, and they tried to match again in l a Um and Shot came in in the middle of the match and it kind of like sucked the energy from it. Um, So it wasn't the same, but it was like my favorite match and Curt Angle like that's what brought me back to wrestling because I did not like the attitude. The matches I think are some of the best matches that have ever happened, but the storylines I was always maybe I'm a little bit

older than you. I just didn't click with him. I will say this, Russo's Attitude era earned more money than probably every other Promoters era coming by, so I'm certainly in the minority and wrong on this. But the storyline that I always loved was the milk truck beer truck storyline. And I was so teen milk truck like when they drove that in. And critics of wrestling will say what

I'm about to say is ridiculous. I thought that was the most creative response ever to the entire stone cold persona drinking beer, swilling, screwing up guys promos on purpose with the wood and like knowing that it was gonna wreck guys. And then here comes and I hated that, like I hated that Stone Cold would do that. And here comes Curd Angle, And even though he was just there to save himself and Integrit and all the eyes right to me, he was there to save wrestling from that.

And when he sprayed him with the milk truck, I literally stood up and was like, oh my god, I love wrestling again. And I from that moment, I was like, Okay, I'm back. You guys got me, and I've been Team Milk Truck ever so great. Um. I mean, Kurt was a great performer and and and like I thought, it was brilliant that they brought him in. You know, you would think baby Face right, Olympic gold Medalists America. The

fact that they brought him in as a heel was brilliant. Actually, one of my great memories is No Mercy two thousand, Albany, New York. My friends and I Drew drove from Montreal to Albany to go watch Angle versus Rock. When Angle became champion for the first time. That was the Rikishi. Uh, you know, hit and run with Austin Angle and uh, we we loved Angle. Angle was our guy, and we we burned a CD with just his theme song on it and we just played it over and over again

as we were leaving the arena. We were so excited. But I was just gonna say, like the pandemic. I sat with my boys who are now ten and eight, and uh, I showed them WrestleMania, and then we started watching like the network and stuff, and they became hardcore fans and and who are their favorites. So my my older son, Oliver loves Goldberg and I know that might piss off some fans now. And my middle son that he loves Goldberg. It might be the Jewish thing, you know,

he's just I don't know, but he loves Goldberg. M jf J. I'll tell you something about that in a second. And the Middle Sun loves Roman Reigns. So actually, just this morning we didn't watch Elimination Elimination Chamber. Just this morning we finally got to see Goldberg versus Roman Reigns after two years of debating who's better. And the middle Sun I didn't want to break the older son's heart. That's like, there's no chances dude is winning. But like

you know, he thought for a second. Uh, they are very I am not just one of makes clear. They are very loyal to the w W brand. They are very anti a W. They are They're like loyal, I think, and I really like a W. I like, like that feels like the adult stuff, right Willing. I love him as fellows you. I love m JF promo that he

just cut about the kid from Long Amazing. So I watched this promo and for those who don't know, go watch it on YouTube, and it's MJF talking about how CM punk was his inspiration and his betrayer all at

the same time. And the guy's crying during the promo and all the people that boo him, and they were even booing him at the beginning of the promo, start like checking their feelings and you can see it in the crow like he's got them wrapped up and he talks about this hero and see him Punk comes out.

He's like, is that true? And with no microphone, MGFS just like giving him the nod like you know it's true, and he just like walks out because it was all based on this one word Friday, because Punk said I was just another Friday when you met me, and he shows a picture of MGF as a little boy meeting CM Punk, his hero. And then the next week, mgf's promo is just about the one word Friday. Yeah it was just another day for you, but here's what it

was for me. And he's talking about anti Semitism and kids throwing quarters at him and and just the more disgusting stuff to where everybody in there is genuinely feeling sorry for this guy. I would argue he's the best heal in the business right now, like he is legit. When he talked about Pillman right, like no one does that right, people got genuinely mad. And then he leaned in on this. Yes, oh my god, he is so good.

I really love their product. I mean, I'm a fan of wrestling, and so I believe, and I talked about this in m M M A like I want more options for the boys in the back, as they say, so I like when there's competition. In fact, I say the competition makes the dominant brand work a little harder and and be a little more creative and pull out all the stuffs. So I think a w's emergence is better for w W. And hopefully you know Bellator's emergence is better for the UFC and all that stuff. Like, I

think a rising tide really does lift all boats. Um My kids every anti like when I tell them, you know this dude like Brian Danielson goes to a They're like, he's dead to us. We're done with them. He betrayed them. Now, I think the bro that's how my grandma Puerto Rico did the rock. She stopped talking to my wife. Yes, that's a great story. That's a great story. Your kids did. That means wrestling, It's great. Here's the thing. Nick Con used to be my agent, and he's been very nice.

You know when when he went to w W. Yeah he was my agent, crazy enough, and now he's the president of WW. So he's been very nice to them, and he like, you know, said, you know, he knows that our fans. He like sent them birthday presents and stuff, and so I think and I actually respect it. They're like, all right now we're WW guys like your kids are.

So he sent them, which he obviously didn't type, but there's like a note like, hey, dear Walter, you know, enjoy your presence from your your friends at the w W and it's like on a little like WW thing with a letter head it's it's been now two years and it's like it's um, it's taped above his bed and it's like that's the president. He keeps that longer than the toys. Yeah, he'll keep that. So I think that's why they're they're big loyalists, which I think is cool.

So it's the point is now as a dad, and I know you can relate to this, to watch this with them as kids, you know, like to go through Royal Rumble and all this stuff, and to watch it with them has just been such a freaking joy, Like it has maybe even a bigger fan just to be able to and now they have the toys and all that stuff. So it's great, man, it's really it brings

me back to when I was a little boy. We're gonna we're gonna close out on that, because that's a really just sort of great way to look at I was talking to Charlotte the other day and and you're French Canadian, so you'll appreciate this word, and she was loving it. And she she heard that Cesorrow was was leaving w w E and she felt kind of bad and I said, don't. I said, this is a literal and figurative renaissance, a rebirth of rest of the wrestling industry.

You're seeing new school guys bring it back to the old school weights like m JF. You're seeing guys on the opposite end of the spectrum like Xavier Woods literally of thing his gimmick and somehow getting it over. And with all this new business and all these changes that are happening at the Big Dog, it's a literal rebirth and all these little indie brands are gonna come up. And I'll tell you something when we stop recording that'll duw you into how much closer I am to what

we talked about on your show with my Fete. But you guys don't get kind of that until later. So I appreciate you guys tuning in. I appreciate you for coming and doing the show. Love real and and uh and I love you too, man. So everybody, thank you for listening, and we'll see you next week on Wrestling with Freddie. This has been a production of I Hearts Michael podcast Network. For more podcasts for My Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you listen to your favorite shows. H