Step into the ring with us as we unravel the high-stakes game of musical chairs that had the biggest names in professional wrestling grappling for the top spot in the WWF. Our seasoned wrestling insider spills the beans on how the likes of Hulk Hogan and David Schultz shook the very foundations of the industry with their unexpected moves, revealing a gritty saga of backstage brawls and the relentless pursuit of fame and fortune. You won't believe the true tales of rivalry and rebellion that forged an era where the clash for merchandise profits and personal branding set the stage for epic showdowns beyond the bright lights.
Feel the tension of the locker room in an era where contracts and loyalties were as flimsy as a folding chair to the back. Our insider recounts the infamous confrontations with wrestling royalty and promoters alike, presenting a no-holds-barred look at the personal vendettas that fueled the fiercest battles outside the squared circle. From secret meetings to public fallouts, this episode is your all-access pass to the underbelly of wrestling's golden age—a time when the battle for supremacy was as much about the Benjamins as it was about the belt.
Step into the ring with us as we unravel the high-stakes game of musical chairs that had the biggest names in professional wrestling grappling for the top spot in the WWF. Our seasoned wrestling insider spills the beans on how the likes of Hulk Hogan and David Schultz shook the very foundations of the industry with their unexpected moves, revealing a gritty saga of backstage brawls and the relentless pursuit of fame and fortune. You won't believe the true tales of rivalry and rebellion that forged an era where the clash for merchandise profits and personal branding set the stage for epic showdowns beyond the bright lights.
Feel the tension of the locker room in an era where contracts and loyalties were as flimsy as a folding chair to the back. Our insider recounts the infamous confrontations with wrestling royalty and promoters alike, presenting a no-holds-barred look at the personal vendettas that fueled the fiercest battles outside the squared circle. From secret meetings to public fallouts, this episode is your all-access pass to the underbelly of wrestling's golden age—a time when the battle for supremacy was as much about the Benjamins as it was about the belt.
Speaker 1:
Pop goes the weasel guy. The weasel says pop, yeah, come on. Yeah, half a pound of Tarponny rice, half a pound of treacle. That's the way the money goes. Pop goes the weasel A friend in need, because I'm pissed You're gonna be a successful WWF villain hated by millions. What was that? We were talking earlier about all you guys leaving for the WWF.
Speaker 1:
Was Burn aware that everyone was leaving or was he aware that some were leaving? Or Hogan, yeah, because I know Hogan had a big match for a Baron Von Raschke substitute for him. It was like a Christmas match or I don't know. I'm not at the timeline wrong. It was like December of 83, I'm thinking. No, you're right about that.
Speaker 1:
There was something and Hogan had come back from Japan and he wasn't going to work for Varian. There was some discrepancy about t-shirt money. Oh, okay, like the AWA sold our t-shirts but we never got a dime for them. I never got a dime for anything and no one did that I know of, except Greg, and I think Hogan complained about it because he had a Bell Royal shirt with all our faces on it, and Andre think Hogan complained about it because he had a Bell Royal shirt with all our faces on it and Andre was mad about that because he never made any money off of it.
Speaker 1:
If you're using somebody's image, my God, I made these people, I put them there. That's right. But if we couldn't have saved, like when Bueser started me, he said I did give you a break. No, you didn't. You didn't say I'd run errands for you, I just left out and became able to make you and I a living. And that's what it was about money.
Speaker 1:
And I think it was Schultz or somebody you know, hogan. They were scared. Hogan was going to come to St Paul and come into the ring and they gave Nick two different finishes. They had, or something. I just laughed. I said is this going to happen? Is he going to show up? This is business. So Hogan went to New York. Then he fired. Then they David Schultz didn't show up. So Hogan fired him and David got mad and came to the TV studio and everybody was at lunch break and david came in.
Speaker 1:
I was in the back having a cigarette. He came out. He's a hot bobby. He had a baseball cap on, he has cowboy boots, tucked in jeans, tucked into his pants, he had rodeo gloves on and a mackerel. He was ready to fight. I, I'm not a what, I'm not a number. Jack, oh, yeah, yeah. And he came in and everybody's on the line Except Superstar Billy Graham, myself, jack Lanza, greg Gagne and Vern.
Speaker 1:
So everybody had sent out for a sandwich or something and we did a channel 11, channel 9 studios, yeah, and they also had the news desk set in there. So some of the guys were sitting by the desk set and doing different things. I'm not sure Jesse was in there and that set. He would always sleep on the floor behind them. So I think everybody's reading a magazine or something and Shiltskin's in the studio and he walks up to Vern there was no cameraman, no ice or nothing and he says don't you tell anybody.
Speaker 1:
I was fired because I quit. I sent you a telegram last night and Vernon said get the hell out of here before I have you thrown out. You're not going to do nothing to me, old man, you're a bald-headed man. And Vernon looked at him and Vernon realized that he was in a TV station and he didn't want to lose his TV, yeah, so he went to go get assistance, yeah, like the police or something there. And Greg said I'll go with you. And I guess Superstar Hans, I held him back or we would have been going to a funeral, I don't care. Sometimes, like Bill was saying, don't let your mouth catch, a jerk Can't say or something. But Schultz was, he was wound up in tight as a cheap watch and he exploded and they talked to Reagan and Shilts finally just left and then after Shilts left with Hogan, they got Gene to go and he just left. So I talked to Hogan and I talked, talked to Vince. I called at home and his wife said he's not here and then I said he said he was with his grandson, which is Greg's boy. So I called over Greg and I said is your dad there? He said no, why? I said well, I just wanna talk about something. Is anything important? Well, I figured he was here anyway.
Speaker 1:
I thought I made an offer about the WWF. He's always bastards, they're after it again. I said I'm gonna take it. I just said it's a substantial offer, Just go ahead. Well, I asked him later why he always said that go ahead. He said because usually the guy won't go, not a 10 times we win. Okay, go ahead. He said because usually the guy won't go and I had 10 times we win, okay, smart mentality.
Speaker 1:
So I called and Vern called me back. I guess Greg found him and Vern said well, what is it, bobby? I said that's something I already talked to you about. He said yeah. I said the WWF called and they made me an offer. Well, that bastard is after you again. And I said I'm going to accept the offer. He says you're what? I'm going to accept the offer. He says tell it to me face to face. I said you'll be in the office this afternoon. He said yeah. I said what time would you like me there? He said one o'clock, south City at one. So I told my wife. I said we're going through the office. She said so what? I said you're going to be a witness and I'm going to get my notice. I really didn't know what they would do to me. I told her. I said you beat Nick one more time. You get to keep him. I told her. I said you beat Nick one more time, you get to keep him. Put the word in the streets.