Step into the ring with us as we sit down with a wrestling legend, and he spills the secrets of transitioning from a notorious WWF manager to a master of the microphone. Our guest doesn't hold back on the highs and lows—revealing the art of storytelling that's essential to captivating an audience without the need to visually narrate every punch and grapple. He takes us through the crucial balance of emphasizing gripping storylines versus the traditional play-by-play, changing the way you'll experience the drama of the squared circle.
This episode isn't just a conversation; it's an education in the subtleties of wrestling commentary where charisma and knowledge collide. Discover the invaluable lessons our guest learned from Jim Ross and how his radio background transformed his approach to calling matches. Whether you're a die-hard wrestling aficionado or just love a good behind-the-scenes tale, this is your front-row ticket to understanding what it takes to be the voice that defines the action and the emotion of wrestling's greatest showdowns.
Step into the ring with us as we sit down with a wrestling legend, and he spills the secrets of transitioning from a notorious WWF manager to a master of the microphone. Our guest doesn't hold back on the highs and lows—revealing the art of storytelling that's essential to captivating an audience without the need to visually narrate every punch and grapple. He takes us through the crucial balance of emphasizing gripping storylines versus the traditional play-by-play, changing the way you'll experience the drama of the squared circle.
This episode isn't just a conversation; it's an education in the subtleties of wrestling commentary where charisma and knowledge collide. Discover the invaluable lessons our guest learned from Jim Ross and how his radio background transformed his approach to calling matches. Whether you're a die-hard wrestling aficionado or just love a good behind-the-scenes tale, this is your front-row ticket to understanding what it takes to be the voice that defines the action and the emotion of wrestling's greatest showdowns.
Speaker 1:
Pop goes the weasel guy. The weasel says pop, here it comes. 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, he's a pest. You're gonna be a successful WWF villain hated by millions.
Speaker 1:
What about when you decided to stop being a manager, the transition from not doing that to just broadcasting? At that point you'd already been broadcasting. Well, yeah, but it was very hard to do color or broadcast when you manage people. Yeah, I could never get the other guy over because I had to talk more about my manager and I couldn't get the other guy over If I managed Ruud. I couldn't talk how good Dibiase was, because I would have to draw all my attention to my man when I'm not a manager. But Dibiase is good. I'm doing an interview now. Dibiase is very good. He's got millions and millions of dollars in the bank, in Swiss banks. But Root is, you know, look at the body on Root. I know money buys everything, but Root is just at the peak right now. You know that's how they have to do it. So he's saying DBI, he can buy whatever he wants. Nobody's going to beat this man. That means my man can't beat him, so I just started just being a commentator. Then it was easier. I could be the middle of the road and be a heel, but I could like all those styles you know because you're a heel holder. So it was a tough transition. No, no, I'm sorry, it was an easy transition. Yeah, there was no problem at all, it was easy. It's something I wanted to do.
Speaker 1:
I think you were the first one to use the term broadcast journalist. Vince gave me that. He said you're a broadcast journalist as opposed to a color commentator. Yeah, there shouldn't be a play-by-play guy, because most play-by-play guys came from radio, where you had to talk. Jim Ross taught me something. He used to do a lot of radio Him and I did a radio out of Boston Gardens one night. He said you've got to say everything. You know like radio Him and I did a radio out of Boston Gardens one night. He said you got to say everything. Like John Morocco, in the rain.
Speaker 1:
I'm wearing the blue trunks and you're going to talk hokey and yellow and red because people aren't seeing it. That's why, wrestling, you don't have to call you. Get to my clothesline. People know where the clothesline is, you don't need to tell me about it.
Speaker 1:
What I think you do is you have to have a guy like a Mike today and him and I sit there and we talk about the angle, that they're working and what's going to happen the next time they meet, what they're capable of doing, but when he's beating up on the man and eggers it don't mean nothing, you know. It's just a real explosive move up the top and the guy goes through the ring and four floors down or something. But other than that you don't have to call a clothesline. He gives them an irish whip, but other than that you don't have to call a clothesline. He gives them an Irish whip. Irish whip is a I think. I know her. Her name is Natalie, anyway, but no, I don't think.
Speaker 1:
I think, if you talk about the angle, because if I had talked about Goldberg and you had talked about Hogan and we could have built that, we wouldn't have had to talk about what was going on in there. That's how I think it. Play-by-play guy, that day is over. But you need them to throw to things Like earlier today we had this from Bobby Heenan, and don't forget things feel better with Bosco, stuff like that. But a heel car guy can't haunt merchandise. Well, that's what they do right now, even. Yeah, but I wouldn't buy anything that Braxy would endorse. Yeah, I bet, damon. Yeah, I wouldn't buy anything that Braxy would endorse. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:
And Jim Ross, I think he has a certain amount of drama, like a storyteller. Yeah, I like Ross, as opposed to just the straight. He's doing this, he's doing that. Ross has a certain amount of emotion and drama. And Jim Ross, he's very prepared. From the time I worked with him, he always had everything down. He knew about all the football stats, he knew about baseball stats, he knew about amateur wrestling. He's a very educated and well-prepared guy. He's not well-liked by a lot of guys because he's been put in positions where he had to deal with contracts and other people's money. That's not his money. So it's a rough position to be in, but he's a man who chose it. So good luck. I like you, boss, as a man and as an accountant.
Speaker 1:
Vince was a tremendous guy to work with. At the beginning I was scared because you don't like working with the boss, but Vince wasn't the kind of guy that every other day, so if you screwed up, he'd tell you how you should do it. A guy was doing an interview once about Bruno and I was saying something about making fun of him or something, vince went by and bumped the camera. Uh, oh, retake. Most guys would yell cut, god damn it. You can't say that.
Speaker 1:
Vince pulled me aside and said Bruno doesn't really like it if you talk about age and things like that. I said, fine, you just stay on this and that. Fine, that's the way he was. He was smooth. I never yelled. No, I went out there and I did the way he wanted me to. I'm the kind of guy I could never pray for this one buddy, if you yell at me, I'll go home. If you compliment me and give me a pat on the back, I'll work harder for you. I'm not the kind of a guy being motivated by that kind of yelling Because, like I said, I never did nothing competitive. So I don't know what. Was it Bernie yelling? Yeah, vernon was yelling. He'd take it. That's why he don't hear you. He'd knock it off his head. He'd go Jesus. He wouldn't ever say Jesus. He'd go Christ, christ, god. He'd get so mad. I told him. I said you beat Nick one more time. You get to keep him. Put the word in the streets.