>>Eric: Bobby what are the reasons behind
writing your new book?
>>Bobby: There were many reasons to write
the new book.
Well, money.
But also my writer, Steve Anderson, he said
ëletís do it different.í My agent said
ëletís do a motivational book.
Can you motivate anybody?í I said I can motivate
people to kill me.
>>Eric: (Laughs)
>>Bobby: So I just sat down and I wanted it
real truthful on how I felt.
A friend of mine wrote a book, a couple years
ago, and heís in sports, but heís not a
wrestler.
He wrote in the book something that wasnít
true about me.
It wasnít bad.
You and I havenít meant, right?
>>Eric: Right.
>>Bobby: It would be like if I wrote a book
and if I said, I was on your radio show and
then afterwards we went out for dinner in
Philly and we had six Philly cheesesteak sandwiches
and two cases of beer and we had a great night.
But that never happened and he wrote that
we did something like that.
So I couldnít go on with the book any further,
because I didnít know if the rest of it was
bs.
If I want to read fiction, I would get Harry
Hopper or Harry Porter or Veronica and Archie
and Bughead or whatever those guys are called.
I donít want to read something that I think
is going to be true and then I find out that
itís a bunch of crap.
My book isnít like that.
My books are as much as I can remember and
as truthful as I can get.
I will never talk about infidelity.
I will never talk about money because thatís
personal.
Thatís too personal for me.
And plus they may have pictures of me and
a goat or something and I donít want to get
involved with that.
>>Eric: Especially with the Internet these
days.
>>Bobby: Or a picture with me and Moolah!
>>Eric: (Laughs)
>>Bobby: And Mae.
>>Eric: Itís funny you bring that analogy
up because Larry King, actually, they called
him on the carpet, I think it was several
years ago, where he wrote that he had dinner
and grew up with Sandy Kofax and Sandy Kofax
said ëI never met the guy.í
>>Bobby: And that ruins all your credibility.
It does to me.
If itís a fiction book, than I understand
you having dinner with somebody, but if itís
supposed to be true, it better be.
>>Eric: Have you started or are you going
to start doing any kind of motivational speaking?
>>Bobby: No, I havenít been asked to do any
of that.
I donít know why.
I guess a lot of people think, because Iím
getting over throat cancer and my speech is
a little different then it once was, that
I people can no longer understand.
Well, I donít know.
All that radiation I had, it swells your tongue.
It feels like Iím making out with Mr. Ed.
>>Eric: (Laughs)
>>Bobby: And then they took off some my tongue
in the back.
And my esophagus is smaller.
That changes your speech a lot, too.
Thatís why they gave us fingers; I can still
get my message by.
>>Eric: All you need is one, right?
>>Bobby: Thatís it!
>>Eric: And again, ladies and gentlemen, weíre
talking to Bobby Heenan.
Bobby, something I talked a lot about, even
before you and I talked about coming on the
air, was your Hall of Fame induction speech
this past spring for the WWE.
Itís a piece of art; I think it is.
After I watched the whole entire ceremony,
and, specifically, your speech, it actually
makes you proud to be a wrestling fan.
Your speech alone, I told the people on my
radio show, go out and buy the DVD, for this
manís speech alone is such so tremendous.
That speech you had, how much of that came
off the top of your head?
>>Bobby: I didnít have anything.
When I was called at home by Jim Ross, I said
sure.
I was thinking of how I am going to open up,
what I was going to say, whoís going to be
there.
I donít want start out knocking this guy
or I donít want to put this guy over.
I donít really know what to do.
Iím just going to go there and see what happens
and I really didnít have anything.
So I was sitting there talking to Muraco and
Tito.
Then when they started the show and started
introducing us, I didnít know what Iím going
to do.
See, I never like to rehearse anything.
Monsoon and I never rehearsed a thing.
There was nothing written.
I canít say other peopleís words and I canít
remember things people write.
I just have to do it on my own.
Thatís the only way Iíve ever done interviews
or anything, forty years in the business.
>>Eric: Gotcha.
>>Bobby: I went out there and I sat down and
I listened to everybody.
Thereís a lot of good guys out there, but
it seemed like everybody wanted to kiss up
to Vince McMahon and his family and talk about
how great the McMahons are.
Theyíre okay, theyíre good people.
I have no arguments with Vince, or Linda,
or Shane, or Stephanie, or any of the McMahons.
Theyíre nice people to meet.
A lot of guys donít like McMahon, but look
at it this way.
A lot of guys donít like Steinbrenner, until
you play for him.
>>Eric: Right, exactly.
>>Bobby: Everybody wants to play for the Yankees.
As soon as they get traded because theyíre
no good, George is an a-hole.
Iím a personal friend of George and all the
managers he had, Billy Martin, Bob Lemon,
all those guys, and when he fired them, he
still paid them.
He still kept them on the payroll.
There was a school bus on the road one night
that broke down, going towards Orlando, about
fifty kids on the bus.
Steinbrennerís driving to Orlando for something.
He pulls over at a McDonalds and buys 500
dollars worth of burgers, brings them back,
gives them to the bus driver and drives away.
>>Eric: Did he really?
>>Bobby: Thatís right.
He did a lot of things nobody knows about.
Vinceís father would stop on the road at
a diner or a Dennyís and have breakfast in
the morning, and thereíd be a family, maybe
have five or three or four kids or something.
Senior would go over and pick up the guyís
check without the guy knowing, and pay and
leave.
So thereís a lot of things that McMahons
do and a lot of people do that people donít
understand.
And the reason people donít like Vince is
because they arenít being used by Vince.
And the ones that are being used by Vince,
think Vince is stealing from you.
Why would you work for someone you think is
stealing from you?
Quit and go home.
Wash the dishes.
Have fun.
>>Eric: Youíre right.
Youíre absolutely right.
>>Bobby: So I went up there and I wasnít
go to say a whole lot about the McMahons or
anything.
Itís just went I started off, I thought everyone
would think my voice was bad because of the
cancer.
So thatís why I started off with the voice.
(Makes raspy sounds.)
And then I turned around and said I had a
wedgie.
>>Eric: That was tremendous.
>>Bobby: And then when the people popped,
I knew I had them.
So I just went from there.
I could have gone another hour, if I had more
water to keep my mouth moist.
Seeing the guys, and my good friend, Ernie
Ladd, who was pretty sick by the wayÖ
>>Eric: Thatís a shame.
>>Bobby: Seeing Harley, and Blackjack, and
Muraco, and Tito.
Tito, who I really respect, what a great man
he is.
What great children and family he has.
I havenít seen Jesse since he was governor
of Minnesota.
It was a fun night.
It was really enjoyable and I had a ball.
>>Eric: Thatís tremendous.
Was that the longest speech youíd ever given
wrestling related in your career?
>>Bobby: Iíve never given one before.
>>Eric: Okay, there you go.
>>Bobby: Never had to.
I just did interviews or did the openings
for Prime Time or the openings for Raw or
something like that.
30 second or minute and a half open.
I donít know how long I talked.
A couple minutes I guess; three four minutes,
I donít know.
It was going good and it was fun, like I said,
I could have gone longer.
I just realized that I was stepping on other
peopleís time.
It was fun.
A lot of people asked, ëWhere is the wrestling
hall of fame?í I said, ëYou know where Cooperstown
is?í They said, ëYes.í I said, ëItís
nowhere near it.í
>>Eric: (Laughs)
>>Bobby: You know, Cooperstown doesnít mean
anything to guys in the NFL and Akron doesnít
mean anything to guys in baseball.
And the wrestling hall of fame doesnít mean
anything to anyone who isnít a wrestling
fan or a wrestler.
And the fans like it; I like it.
It was somebody honored me, which nobody did
before.
I thought it was an honor.
I thought the fans should be entertained and
it was fun.
>>Eric: And what I really liked about it,
too, it came off really classy.
They didnít pull any shenanigans, like in
the past.
The whole event seemed pretty classy.
>>Bobby: I thought thereíd be a pie fight
or something.
>>Eric: Right.
(Laughs) Right.
>>Bobby: Somebody down and pull your pants
down.
>>Eric: Going from a positive experience,
to one of the more strange experiences, at
least from people that Iíve talked to that
attended and from what Iíve read about, the
Cauliflower Alley Banquet this year.
Are you going to continue to be a part of
it, because Iíve read some places where you
said you didnít want anything to do with
it anymore and some places where you said
you may?
>>Bobby: No, Iím not going to do it anymore.
Itís just not fun anymore.
Thereís two different kinds of wrestling
fans.
You know the difference between a fan and
a mark?
>>Eric: Whatís that?
>>Bobby: A fan will come up to you and say,
ëwhat a great match.
I really enjoyed the show tonight.í A mark
wants to find out where you live and move
into your house with you.
>>Eric: (Laughs)
>>Bobby: And thatís the truth.
All those guys there are wannabe wrestlers
that will never make it.
The people that come around and to have to
deal with wrestlers from the past, which turn
my stomach.
Itís not fun anymore.
I was in the hospital.
They told me I had a cancer.
Iím lying in bed and I said ëIf I ever get
out of here, Iím never going to do nothing
I donít want to do, again.í And thatís
one of them.
I respect Red Bastien and Nick Bockwinkel.
Some people there I do not respect, because
you donít let marks run your business.
Thatís what happened there.
And itís just not fun.
By the time I bring my wife out there- you
stay at a hotel, you see some friends, my
brothers are out there, so thatís okay, but
itís like a couple grand.
If I want to spend a couple grand, Iím going
to a massage parlor.
I donít want to go see a bunch of broken
down wrestlers.
>>Eric: Has that been the most refreshing
part of this whole new phase in your career
post-WCW, is being able to do what you want
and having fun doing it?
>>Bobby: Oh yeah, because I know what Iím
going to make now.
I donít have to be sent to some town you
canít find on the map.
I donít have to change planes four times.
I do what I have to do now.
This is my fee, if you want to pay it, Iíll
do it, if you donít want, fine, I donít
care.
I donít need the money.
Iím just doing it to have fun and to get
out of the house.
If I stay home another couple months, I might
turn into OJ here.
>>Eric: (Laughs)
>>Bobby: I can only sit in my shorts so long
and watch Judge Judy, or else Iíll go nuts.
>>Eric: I can imagine.
Again, weíre talking to 2004 WWE Hall of
Fame inductee, the legendary, Bobby ìThe
Brainî Heenan.
Bobby, when you were on the radio show last
year, you talked about all of the good people,
your former co-workers, employers, that had
called you when you were in bed with the cancer.
You said at the time, and you were very disappointed,
that you had not yet heard from Vince.
Did he eventually call you, before your Hall
of Fame induction?
>>Bobby: No.
If Vince had to call everyone who was sick,
heíd be on the phone all day and couldnít
run his business.
When Larry Henningís son died, Curt, he [Curt]
was in Tampa.
I got a phone call from Wade Boggsí wife.
She called me and said, ëDid you hear anything
about Curt?í I said, ëWhat do you mean,
Debbie?í And she said, ëI just got a call
from his wife and she said the police came
and he had died here in Tampa.í I didnít
even know Curt was in town.
I used to see him every Christmas and in the
summer, Curt and I would go play in Wadeís
golf tournament and weíd go over his house
at Christmas and have a party.
We always had a good time with Wade.
He did a lot of things for Curt in wrestling,
too.
He did the Mr. Perfect shots with him.
I called Wade back and no one knew anything.
Then, after a half hour later, everyone was
calling.
I never talked to Larry Henning, until I saw
him in March of this year.
You know why?
>>Eric: Why?
>>Bobby: If you lose your wife, thatís kind
of expected.
Or if you lose your husband, thatís expected.
But if you lose your child, what can I say?
Iím sorry?
He knows Iím sorry.
My condolences?
He knows that.
If thereís anything you need?
I cannot tell a father that Iím sorry he
lost his son or child.
I didnít know what to say.
I have known Larry and Curt since 1967, almost
40 years.
I watched Curt go to school, while Larry,
Blackjack, and I would leave to go to a town
in the morning.
I didnít know what to say.
Vince is probably the kind of person, who
doesnít like to call, and doesnít like to
hear bad things.
He was pleasant to me.
He was polite to me.
They honored me the night before; they took
care of me at Wrestlemania.
I have no problems at all.
Some people just arenít like that.
I understand why you canít call sometimes;
what are you going to say?
So thatís okay.
Heís out of the will, though, but thatís
okay.
>>Eric: (Laughs) Are you going to be doing
anything special with the WWE anytime soon?
>>Bobby: Nope, I havenít heard anything.
I told them when I left, if something comes
up, and it isnít too time consuming and involves
a lot of money, Iíll do it.
I donít want to work everyday.
I donít want a schedule.
I said if you need an ambassador, someone
to go meet and greet people or do something
like that at a convention, sign autographs
before Wrestlemania, I donít mind doing that.
I donít want to be on camera, I donít want
to work anymore, be a manager; I donít want
to do commentary.
Iím just happy with what Iím doing now.
Iím on my way to the beach, right now.
Itís 92 here in Tampa.
Iím going to Clearwater Beach to spend the
day with my wife and family and some friends.
Thatís what Iím doing now.
Iím just having a good time.
>>Eric: Well, if it makes you feel any better,
itís thunderstorming all day here.
>>Bobby: Well, itís Philadelphia.
It needs to be cleaned a little bit.
>>Eric: (Laughs) We need all the help we can
get.
>>Bobby: Sure, itís summer.
I like Philly.
I always had a great time at the Spectrum.
Itís a good town.
Sports fans are really good fans there.
People knock them a lot because theyíre noisy
and lousy and just because they wear t-shirts,
and there are sweat rings on it, and they
have goatees, and their heads are shaved,
and theyíre swearing and spitting, and thatís
just the women!
>>Eric: (Laughs) Bobby Heenan, ladies and
gentlemen
>>Bobby: Phillyís a good town.
>>Eric: Before I go to the break, thereís
been some controversy over the last two three
weeks, and youíd be a great man to ask about
this, because youíve worked with both and
been around both of them.
I donít know if youíre aware, but Ric FlairÖ
>>Bobby: If you tell me Mae Youngís pregnant,
itís not me!
>>Eric: (Laughs) Well, alright, thatís it.
The rumors are dispelled.
>>Bobby: If the kid comes out with no hair
and a moustache, itís Okerlundís.
>>Eric: (Laughs) And a martini in his hand,
right?
>>Bobby: And a little bitty tuxedo, that donít
fit.
>>Eric: (Laughs) Ric Flair put out a book,
a tremendous book.
Have you had a chance to read it?
>>Bobby: Nope.
>>Eric: Okay.
He took a lot of knocks at a few people, Bret
Hart in particular.
He said in comparing he and Bret Hart, that
there are no comparisons.
He said that Bret was not a good worker.
He got real personal with the guy.
You were, obviously around Flair as his manager
for the first part of his run and around Bret
for the first time he came into the WWE.
>>Bobby: I was around Bret in 1979.
He lived across the hall from me when I working
for Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1979.
>>Eric: Oh wow.
>>Bobby: So Iíve known Bret a long time.
>>Eric: So what are your thoughts on something
like that?
>>Bobby: I think itís okay.
Itís a manís opinion, he has a right to
say it.
I think, personally, that Ric Flair, along
with Hogan, have probably been the greatest
entertainers our business has ever had.
Bret Hart, to me, is an exceptional worker.
Heís very good.
Heís fresh.
His moves are great.
He has a Canadian interview, which is a little
laid back, he doesnít really get excited.
But his work in the ring, and as a gentlemen,
outside of the ring, I love the guy.
>>Eric: Excellent.
>>Bobby: I love Flair, too.
Flair wrote the forward for my book.
And what goes on between Flair and him, maybe
that was business, I donít know anything
about.
Thereís only two books Iíve ever read in
my life.
>>Eric: Whatís that?
>>Bobby: Three books.
One was called Number One by Billy Martin.
One was called Balls- B- A- L-L-S.
The only reason I read those was I was in
Japan for thirty days and I had nothing to
do.
I read Arn Andersonís book.
I havenít read my own book.
>>Eric: You havenít read your own book?
>>Bobby: No, I wrote them, why should I read
them?
I know whatís in them.
I donít want to read them again.
Iím not that vain.
I look at the pictures, but thatís about
it.
Arn Andersonís book is the only book I read.
I havenít read Flairís yet, because I didnít
know it was out.
I will read it though, his book I would read.
I donít want to read a book by a guy thatís
been in the business for two years.
Whatís he got to tell me about?
>>Eric: As a guy thatís worked in wrestling
for ten years, and Iíve grown up watching
wrestling since I was eight, I feel the same
way, when I guy puts a book out, what is there
to talk about?
>>Bobby: All he can talk about is last week
on TV.
Most of these guys today havenít been to
other territories, because when they started
there were no other territories.
Then these guys make twenty-five dollars a
week, they make money.
I started in í65.
I was in Tennessee, where guys would put a
pot roast in tin foil and put it on the engine
of the car, and drive to a town 300 miles
away, threw six guys in the car, didnít have
enough money to stop and eat, took the pot
roast out, three dollar pot roast, have it
with some carrots, throw the rest to the side
of the road, and thatís how they ate.
My first pay out in Louisville, Kentucky,
I almost got killed with five dollars.
>>Eric: I think you told the story last time
you were on the air here.
Did you write that in your book, as well?
I think you wrote about that.
>>Bobby: Yeah.
I got things to write about.
I can talk about Gene Kiniski, Pat Oí Connor,
Buddy Rogers.
Say Diamond Dallas, for example.
What did he talk about?
I mean guys that havenít been the top guys
or havenít been in the business that long
or are interesting enough for people to read
about.
I certainly donít want to read about.
I donít want to talk to them.
>>Eric: Whatís funny, when I had Curt Henning
on the radio show here, who was such a great
guest when I had him on, he talked a lot about
Paigeís book, at the time I guess DDP just
put out his book, and he just went on, for
like five to ten minutes, and went off about
him putting out his book.
>>Bobby: See, I never read his book so I canít
knock it.
>>Eric: He didnít either.
>>Bobby: Iím not knocking him, Iím saying
for his time.
Like, The Rock.
The Rock has at least succeeded, and then
movies, and was at the top of the WWE and
WWF.
Was at Miami and played football.
His father-in-law, his father, heís got some
stories here.
Other guys: I started out in Philadelphia
at wrestling school three weeks ago.
>>Eric: Again, weíre talking to WWE Hall
of Fame inductee, Bobby ìThe Brainî Heenan.
Bobby, we were talking a little about Ole
Anderson and Georgia Championship Wrestling.
What was it like working for Ole?
>>Bobby: Let me explain something to you about
Ole Anderson.
Iíll explain to you right from the top.
You got a minute, right?
>>Eric: Oh yeah.
>>Bobby: Okay, Ole Anderson comes off like
he was a big star in this business.
Ole Anderson was nothing more than Southern
tag team wrestler.
I remember in the late 60ís, Ole Anderson
would come to Chicago, heís from Minneapolis,
his nameís Alan Rogowski, he would come to
Chicago, and ask Verne Gagne, while he was
still in the army, if he could break into
the business.
I remember him standing in the International
Amphitheater, in a locker room downstairs,
waiting to talk to Verne.
Verne broke him in and then sent him to Calgary.
Only two reasons you go to Calgary, itís
like Kansas City and Indianapolis: you go
there to start or you go there to die.
Thereís nothing left for you in the business;
thatís the only place left for you to make
money.
So thatís what he went there for, to learn
how to start.
If he was any good, Verne would have brought
him back.
Hereís another thing, he was the booker for
Georgia Championship Wrestling, right?
>>Eric: Yes.
>>Bobby: He controlled everything.
How come he never worked on top with the champion?
Whether it be Funk, whether it be Ric Flair,
or whether it be Harley Race.
How come he never worked on top in St. Louis?
How come he never worked on top in Houston?
Those were the top NWA towns.
St. Louis was the first place they ever used
a manager, and that was me.
Ole Anderson never worked there on top.
Now, if he was a booker, how come he never
booked himself in a match with Flair?
Because Jim Barnett, the promoter, said ëDonít
do it.
You wonít draw a dime.í And he knew it,
too.
He was always involved in tag team wrestling,
with Gene Anderson, or with Ivan Koloff.
Oh, he went out in that ring.
He busted his butt.
He worked hard.
He had a lot of bad timing.
He didnít know how to beg off from a comeback;
he didnít know when to beg.
He didnít know how to sell that well.
He wanted to be a tough guy.
I came down there in 1979, in February, and
I left my wife and daughter at home.
My daughter was just born in December; she
was three months old.
My mother died in April, and I had to go back
home and bury my mother.
She died on a Monday night and I was back
to work on Thursday because I had to feed
my wife and daughter.
I couldíve taken more time off to grieve,
but what was that going to do?
I had to go feed them.
So I went back to work and asked Ole, ëHow
long do I have here?í He said, ëYou can
stay here as long as you want.í Well, I stayed
twelve years in Minneapolis, and I couldíve
stayed a lot of places longer, so I moved
my family, my wife and daughter, to Atlanta,
in June.
Then in October, he gave me my notice, said
I was making too much money and he fired me.
When I went back in 1994, Ole was working
in the office.
I donít know if he was emptying out trashcans
or putting paper out in the craphouse; he
was doing something remedial there.
He said, ëHey, Bobby, how have you been?í
I said, ëHey, what happened?
How come you fired me?í He said, ëI donít
remember you getting fired?
Where did you go?
You just disappeared.í What kind of boss
would he be if he didnít know where his talent
is?
No, Ole was not a top guy.
He only worked in tag team situations.
Tag team was never used on top at the Omni.
Sometimes it was, mostly spot shows around
Atlanta.
He was maybe a big name in Marietta, but he
never worked with the champion.
That tells you if he was top guy or not.
Ox Baker never worked with a champion, he
never was a major territorial star, because
they just arenít top guys.
And Ole Anderson, being a booker, if he was
a top guy, heíd have worked with a champion.
Wouldnít he?
>>Eric: Yeah, absolutely.
>>Bobby: He didnít, because the promoter
told him, ëdonít book it, it wonít draw.í
He didnít want to be embarrassed, if the
promoter didnít tell him and if he had to
make the decision himself not to do it, because
it wouldnít have made a dime.
Itís that simple.
The two most hated men Iíve ever met in this
business are Ole Anderson and Joe Scarpa,
Chief Jay Strongbow.
>>Eric: Really?
>>Bobby: Yes.
The way they talk to people.
The way Ole Anderson would demean Pez Whatley,
talk to down to Bubba Douglas, make fun of
Tony Atlas, just talk bad to everyone he could
get his hands on- Chick Donovan, an extra,
an underneath guy, treat them like garbage.
He just wanted to hate everyone; he wanted
to come off as mean and tough, but we all
know how tough he is, because every year Blackjack
Mulligan would beat his ass in a dressing
room, that he couldnít see out his swollen
eye for two weeks.
Thatís the truth.
Mulligan used to beat him up once a year.
You could set your watch to it.
So Ole Anderson is nothing.
Heís lucky he was in the business.
The only reason he was booker was he would
do that for minimal pay and take the heat
when other boys wouldnít want to be involved.
Iíve been asked to be a booker in a lot of
places; I donít want the responsibility of
having to fire people, hire people, if a good
friend of mine calls for work, I canít tell
him no, I just donít have that kind of personality.
A person that has that kind of personality
doesnít have that much of a heart, I feel.
Thatís what I think of Ole Anderson.
I think Ole Anderson is a piece of sh**.
Right out there and back.
>>Eric: Bobby, I donít have a delay here.
>>Bobby: Okay, heís a big piece of sh*t.
>>Eric: There you go.
>>Bobby: Itís in the dictionary if you want
to look it up.
>>Eric: I appreciate your candid comments
and candid they were.
>>Bobby: And the reason Strongbow was so disliked
is because he was an agent.
If he liked you, heíd put you on first and
second and get you out of there.
Honky Tonk Man, he didnít like.
Sometimes he [Honky] didnít get home for
90 days.
He took his wife and little boy on the road
to see him.
He put Honky Tonk on last, after the main
event, make his wife sit in the building since
6 oí clock until 11 oí clock at night, when
you could have put the guy on first, and let
the guy go home and be with his family.
Abuse of authority, heís another of piece
of you know what.
See, Iím getting better.
>>Eric: (Laughs) And youíre getting wound
up, too.
>>Bobby: Well, it makes me mad, when Ole Anderson,
who never drew a dime in this business, never
did anything in this business, knocks a man
like Ric Flair, who held the belt 20 times,
who knows how many, and itís because of the
work, you donít win anything, they give it
to you.
If you have enough respect for this business,
for someone to give you a belt, and run with
it, like the NWA belt and WCW belt, you have
to ask Ric Flair, and Dory Funk, and the Briscos,
and Harley Race what it means to be champion.
Ole Anderson was a disgrace, as far Iím concerned,
to the business.
>>Eric: Wow.
>>Bobby: You can tell him I said that, I donít
care.
>>Eric: Iíve never talked to the man in my
life, other than meeting him when I was a
kid.
Again, weíre talking to 2004 Hall of Fame
inductee, Bobby ìThe Brainî Heenan.
>>Bobby: How come he never worked in Minneapolis
on top?
>>Eric: Especially since thatís where you
said he broke in.
>>Bobby: How come he never went to New York?
They had a lot worse workers there than Ole.
His excuse was that he said he could make
himself 100 grand here doing this and that.
I donít know if he was making that or not,
who knows.
Iíll tell you what I was making down there.
I was making 700 to 900 dollars a week in
í79.
And if he was making twice as much as me,
he wasnít making 100 grand.
>>Eric: Thatís a good point.
>>Bobby: If he was making three times as me,
it still wasnít worth it, to work seven days
a week, and drive every day and be in Georgia.
When I grew up, my first four years, I had
three teeth and was making a mess in my pants
and I thought I was the governor of Georgia.
>>Eric: (Laughs) How about we take some calls?
Letís bring up Ron first.
>>Caller Ron: Itís an honor to talk to you
again.
I talked to you the first time you were on
and itís an honor to you have back.
My question is what do you think of the direction
of the WWE now and can you please call us
humanoids, we miss that.
>>Bobby: Okay, youíre a humanoid, Ron.
>>Eric: And his second question was what do
you think of the current direction of the
WWE?
>>Bobby: Iím not watching the product.
Iím in the process of moving and Iím busy
doing that.
And when I was sick, I didnít stay up that
late to watch TV.
I was going to bed pretty early, and I donít
know any of the guys.
If it had been the guys that I had been in
the business with like the Baron Van Raschkeís,
Nick Bockwinkle, and Ray Stevens, and those
guys were still wrestling, Iíd really feel
bad that I missed it.
The guys that are in now, I donít know them
and itís a different business then when I
was there.
I donít know what direction they come from
or are going.
No matter what direction theyíre going, theyíll
be an audience for it, because when you have
200 channels, they need programmers, so theyíll
always be someone who likes wrestling.
And wrestling is television, it goes up and
down the hills and valleys, so if itís doing
great now itíll come down, if itís down
now itíll come up.
Itís just the way it is with wrestling.
>>Eric: About a year and half ago, you did
an interview and said that was wrestling was
in very severe trouble.
Do you still feel the same way?
>>Bobby: Yeah.
The fans are not involved anymore.
A guy doesnít do an interview anymore; he
does a monologue.
I like the old days, when you beat the guy
with your finishing maneuver and they know
who you were and you get to talk about it.
The Crusher in Milwaukee, heíd come out with
beer on his back, smoking a cigar, he would
say things like ëIím going to give him mouth
to mouth restitution.í They knew he was a
tough Pollock from Milwaukee; he was the Crusher.
Nowadays, guys, they come out, they all have
long hair and beards, and they look like the
guys in the first seven rows.
Thatís the truth.
They donít get their characters over.
They have to have interviews.
Okerlund has to get the guy down there and
talk and discuss this and your finishing maneuver.
Just to go up there and have all these personal
issues, I donít think the people want to
worry about.
There are too many things in life that are
personal.
You have a war going on, people being kidnapped,
we have people holding up places, we have
terrorists; I donít think they worry about
a guy hitting another guy with a chair.
>>Eric: Do you think it hurts now that there
arenít squash matches that they had back
in the day?
>>Bobby: Yeah, sure it hurts.
It hurts, because the man gets to seldom use
his finishing maneuvers, and he never gets
down to do an interview, itís always someone
interfering or someone running away, itís
never clean and cut.
And people like that, even though they knew
by watching that Hulk Hogan was going to beat
the Brown Owl, but they want to see him beat
and they want to see the finishing maneuver.
>>Eric: I think back then, going as a kid,
I always wondered what would happen if Big
John Studd got Hulk Hogan in the backbreaker,
for example.
>>Bobby: Thereís another thing.
Andre the Giant and John Studd.
Boy, did that look great on paper.
It didnít look good in the ring.
First of all, Andre is not going to be able
to press John Studd over his head to give
him big bumps cause Studd couldnít take them.
So now you got two big guys out there butting
heads.
Thank god they had me, because Andre could
throw me around at the end.
Sometimes a good match on paper doesnít always
draw you money.
>>Eric: Itís funny, because itís such an
old proverb, cause so many people forget history
in that aspect.
>>Bobby: Iíd rather watch Dean Malenko and
Benoit work than anybody.
>>Eric: You and me both.
>>Bobby: Eddie Guerrero and whatís his name?
>>Eric: Rey Mysterio, Jr.?
>>Bobby: Yeah, and those guys are tremendous.
Some of the luchadores donít know how to
sell, but thatís okay, thatís their style,
and itís interesting.
>>Eric: Yeah, absolutely.
Letís bring up Vince.
>>Caller Vince: Bobby, of course, I love you,
and a 1-hour show isnít good enough.
My question for you is the old time wrestlers
that go in the Independent leagues, does it
hurt the division of Independent leagues or
does it keep on making wrestling good?
Second question, in your book, the voice of
AWA was in a wheelchair, was he in the wheelchair
before he started his wrestling career, and
if he did how does that affect people flying
around the ring?
>>Bobby: The gentleman in the wheelchair,
his name is Roger Kent, and he did the play
by play in Minneapolis for the AWA in the
studio there.
Roger had a bad footÖhe had foot damage.
I hadnít seen Roger in twenty years and now
he was in a wheelchair, but when he was doing
commentating he wasnít in a wheelchair then.
He had a little trouble getting around; he
wasnít fast, but he could walk.
I guess if he were in a wheelchair, the guys
would just have to stay away from the table.
And what else did he ask?
>>Eric: He was asking when the old time wrestlers,
when their run is over in the WWE, and they
really donít have a lot left as far as bookings,
they go to the Independents.
What he wanted to know, is do you think it
hurts the Independents because the young guys
only have some ground when the older guys,
you know, youíve seen them, they come just
for a pay check and leave as soon as theyíre
in there.
>>Bobby: Thatís it.
Iíll tell you something, these young guys
are never going to make it anyplace and Iíll
tell you why.
They may have heart and desire, but the promoters
that are running it, they donít care.
Iíve done some Independent shows and Iím
embarrassed by it.
Itís like backyard wrestling.
What it is itís like a bunch of young, fat
kids or a bunch of kids that weigh 110 pounds.
They wear sweatshirts, they wear tennis shoes,
they wear stocking caps, they wear earrings,
they wear necklaces, and they go out to the
ring and the first thing they do is they jump
to the second rope and yell to the people.
And they all do the same moves that the guy
did in the match before them.
Theyíre not wrestlers; theyíre pretending
to be.
They donít wear wrestling boots; they donít
wear wrestling trunks; thatís why they donít
do any business.
People will not pay to see apartment and backyard
wrestling, and thatís what it is.
Theyíre not wrestlers.
Theyíre children.
I realize that everybody has to start someplace,
but these guys will never make it.
Believe me.
I went to some guyís show awhile back, he
had a 130-pound guy as an Indian wrestler
and he had about three feathers.
The guy looked like a hawk hit by a car.
This guy is never going to make it in the
business and these guys donít care if they
make it; they just want these guys to work
for nothing and most of these Independent
guys work for nothing.
If you have a name on the card, it helps,
because some of these guys you donít know,
and you canít know them, because these guys
donít have TV.
Thereís no way of advertising your talent.
These guys have to hit the gym.
They have to get in shape.
They look horrible.
Theyíre out of shape.
They donít wear wrestling clothes, they wear
street clothes; they look like rappers.
People wonít pay to see rappers.
>>Eric: Bobby, Iím actually ending the show
early this week, but can we have you back
here in a few weeks?
>>Bobby: Call me whenever you want.
>>Eric: Bobby, thank you very much.
Youíre the best.
Youíre the greatest.
Best of luck with the newest book, Chairshots.
>>Bobby: You can go on Amazon.com.
And Iím sorry for saying the poo-poo word.
>>Eric: Iíll have to fight a little bit with
the brass here, but weíll get over it.
>>Bobby: Does your show get good ratings?
>>Eric: Yeah, absolutely.
>>Bobby: Then tell him to go stick it up his
hat.
>>Eric: (Laughs) Amen to you.
Bobby, thank you and have a great time at
the beach.
>>Bobby: If you see Ole Anderson, forget my
name.
>>Eric: Too bad we donít have the toilet
near you.
>>Bobby: I donít care what you say; he was
dead wrong in what he did.
Heís not a good man.
>>Eric: Bobby, thank you very much and have
a good weekend.
>>Bobby: Ok, guys remember- A friend in needís
a pest.
>>Eric: Bobby ìThe Brainî Heenan, thank
you.
