Have you ever felt the weight of society's expectations pressing down on you, or struggled to find the thin line between personal happiness and the happiness of others? Our latest guest, a seasoned pro from the world of professional wrestling, shares a gripping narrative that could have you rethinking the very essence of performance and success. Together, we peel back the curtain on the mind's secrets, the balance of belief amidst life's distractions, and the poignant quest for integrity in an industry riddled with spectacle and politics.
This conversation is a candid exploration of what it takes to draw money and captivate audiences, comparing the art of wrestling to the craft of illustrious actors like Sean Connery and Tom Hanks. Our guest doesn't hold back, revealing the inner workings of wrestling promotions and the delicate balance between favoritism and talent. We confront the harsh realities of embarrassment, the pressures of upholding an act, and share personal stories that illuminate the struggles and triumphs behind the glitz of the wrestling ring. Strap in for an episode that's as raw as a locker-room brawl, yet as insightful as a heart-to-heart after the final bell.
Have you ever felt the weight of society's expectations pressing down on you, or struggled to find the thin line between personal happiness and the happiness of others? Our latest guest, a seasoned pro from the world of professional wrestling, shares a gripping narrative that could have you rethinking the very essence of performance and success. Together, we peel back the curtain on the mind's secrets, the balance of belief amidst life's distractions, and the poignant quest for integrity in an industry riddled with spectacle and politics.
This conversation is a candid exploration of what it takes to draw money and captivate audiences, comparing the art of wrestling to the craft of illustrious actors like Sean Connery and Tom Hanks. Our guest doesn't hold back, revealing the inner workings of wrestling promotions and the delicate balance between favoritism and talent. We confront the harsh realities of embarrassment, the pressures of upholding an act, and share personal stories that illuminate the struggles and triumphs behind the glitz of the wrestling ring. Strap in for an episode that's as raw as a locker-room brawl, yet as insightful as a heart-to-heart after the final bell.
Speaker 1:
Relatives are like fish After three days they stink. Bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby Bobby. No-transcript. The more secretive thing in the world is a person's mind. Because you don't want to let me know what you step up on or what you mean to tell me. Because there are things in your mind, in my mind, that no one will ever know. Yes, I like to be tied into a duck with a skate key, but no one's going to know that. I like a catcher's mick and a onion, but that's okay. But really no one knows what goes on in anybody's mind. So you can't really say I know what you're thinking. You never know what anybody's thinking.
Speaker 1:
You just have to do what you have to do in your life that makes you happy without hurting anyone. If you hurt someone or lie to someone, cheat someone, they might never come back around. They say, carmen, we're going around and around. I don't believe that. I see a lot of people have done a lot of bad things and they're fine. I see a lot of good people that have suffered. You should try to believe in all that. Belief is a hard thing in this world, a life to believe in something because there's so many distractions that make you not believe and when you don't believe in something, people think I'm not talking about your race, I'm talking about believing in it. Your marriage, your wife, your girlfriend, your job. There's a lot of things you just don't believe in sometimes and don't make sense.
Speaker 1:
I was always embarrassed to be a wrestler Because I had to protect what I did. Well, there's no masked men. There's no guy behind Dexter from Yankee Stadium with a mask. You don't know if the guy at the NBA from parts unknown. I mean, how could I work for a promoter and not tell them who I am? How did I get paid? This is stupid. So if you defend that to people, you can't do it. It was an embarrassment. It really was an embarrassment.
Speaker 1:
They should have known what great actors some of us were. Some weren't, but some were. And the ones that were were the ones that drew money, and that's how you can tell a great actor, especially Tracy Sean Connery. Nowadays they have Tom Hanks, who's a great actor. Brad Pitt I've never seen him in anything, but I'd like to watch him and his wife's in that. Never mind. No, you never know. But a wrestler you can tell if he's good, if he draws money, and you know an average fan can go out there and watch a wrestler and tell one time if they like him or not. That's the truth. You know that. No, that's the truth. He may get a little better, but he's going to always be the same. Yeah, oh, exactly yeah. But there's some guys that are In the beginning, some guys Rick Flair, bobby Heenan, ray Stevens, pat Patterson, and there were some guys that just never made it. They were like a fart in a space suit.
Speaker 1:
What about you? Know how much does they always talk about politics and playing politics backstage? How much does that balance out with the talent? I mean you? Oh, it's very important If the broker likes you. Yeah, if the broker likes you, I'm not going to promote it, but the broker For you people that are coming to support me.
Speaker 1:
If I was the promoter and I hired Steve Anderson to be a broker, I'd say you're right, don't bother me. Well, maybe my thoughts are in my case. So if a promoter comes in, let's say I'm running the AWA or WWF and I'm the broker there. I bring in two guys who I like and they're not really that great at counting, but I like them. I will push them down your throat and you can either buy tickets or not. Come along. Traders will tell you very quickly they like you or not, so it don't take long.
Speaker 1:
But some bookers just like to do that because they like these guys and they want to make them money. You want to make them money. Put a guy on you don't like who can draw money and then send him a check at home. That'll hurt all of us. You don't want to make money off what makes you money off. That's what you have to do. So those guys aren't so much focused on the consumer, they just want to put their friends over.
Speaker 1:
Well, first of all, the booker. He only gets a very small percentage. I was offered a job once as a booker in a territory for $100 a week. I said $100 a week. He said yeah, but whatever you book yourself into which means the main advantage of them you'll make more. That makes the same as working. That means for $100 a week. I have to be in the office five days a week from 10 to 6 o'clock on the phone, with all these guys kissing my ass while I'm in for $100.
Speaker 1:
Everybody wants to be a booker because it's a control thing, it's a power thing. Some bookers were great. Red Nastine was a great booker. Some were ridiculous, some were foolish, some couldn't book anything, some couldn't call a cab. I mean, you could see it. I mean, what was it? I mean, what was it? Wcw? You put the bell on Daniel's mother, on David, our kid, because the thing was me and Buck are two people that had never been in the business and it sounds like I'm not going to, but that's the truth. I couldn't right now run a hockey team or anything. I've only done one thing in my life, that's wrestling and make people laugh. I can be stupid and run wrestling, but that's it and I made a living off that. I told one. I said you beat Nick one more time. You get to keep him. Put the word in the streets.