By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast with Tom Magee
Hosts: Chad and JP
Interview available at Tmptow.podomatic.com
Did he know the match had been lost by WWE: “I knew there was a lot of buzz about the match and that it had never been seen but I didn’t know what happened to the tape. I just assumed that the WWE had it in their possession and I’d never seen it. I got to see it in Las Vegas recently and I was impressed and amazed and there was a number of things in it that impressed me. I was really big and heavy at the time and I was amazed at how capably Bret Hart was able to lift me and I also was glad that I got to show some of the athleticism that I worked so hard to create over many decades of applying myself and the training of course that the Hart Family had put into me so as an athlete that is what you want to do and you want to show the hard work also that you put in but that everyone else has put into you. Anyone who does a delicate performance there are a lot of trainers and a lot of people that put their heart and their soul into giving you those abilities and so it is great when you get a chance to do that. I was so stoked to be there and meeting Vince McMahon and getting to talk to him and it is a kind of synergy that is in there. The combination of all those individuals brought together, WOW. The power and the lights emanating from that was just so amazing and I hope that the match reflected that.”
Was it ever stated to him that Vince McMahon crowned him his “next champion”: “So that’s interesting because I don’t recall anybody gushing over me verbally. I certainly knew people were watching me and I had a lot of attention but in terms of somebody giving me like an over the top appraisal like that was just a no. But I don’t think that was their style. They weren’t prone to gushing or overly praising and so no I don’t recall that… I had an audience with all of those guys, including Pat Patterson and I was just trying to get to know everyone. But I felt despite all of the other things that I’ve said that there is also an element of and I don’t want to say matter of fact-ness but they are professionals and everyone is professional so it is expected that you are going to go out there and you are going to do something really neat. You didn’t just get there because it is hard to get in there so if you did get in there than of course you are going to do something that is high level or elite otherwise you weren’t there.”
Remembering more details of the match with each retelling: “It was all really interesting and like I say it helps me to bring back some of the little anecdotes that I have of different interactions going on there. I told you about when they trying to figure out who I was going to go out there with and who I was going to compete against in the match and it ended up being Bret but it could have been Hercules Hernandez or could’ve been someone else. There were other things that you would hear people that aren’t talking to you but they are talking like you are not there or they are ten or fifth-teen feet away and you hear something. I came from the bodybuilding world so when I came with my trunks I went to a bigger trunk and more of a wrestling style trunk that was not typical. Somebody else was saying that he can’t go out there in those trunks because they are too small and I recognized also when Bret and I were in that match when he goes to lift me back into the ring he friggin’ torture-tests my trunks and I’m glad those things were well made and well-engineered because they definitely stood the test but I get to show some of my explosiveness that most people don’t have and that world champion strength athletes have.”
Response to the match’s release and WWE Network documentary: “I’m appreciative about that. It makes me feel good that they recognize and wanted to showcase what happened a long time ago. But it’s the history of wrestling that is interesting and of course Bret goes all the way to the top of pro wrestling so that was also great. If I’d been more successful and I did wrestle for five years to some success and I had a lot of interesting matches and who you get paired up with makes for a lot of those stories and the possibilities of what can happen. But it was great fortune to have crossed paths with Bret that night and that’s there for all time and it was a significant match for me and for him. One thing that was fascinating when we were at Starrcast is Bret was talking about how he struggled to get recognition for his wrestling ability at some point in the WWF now that was unknown to me. I assumed he just was always recognized as top tier but apparently he also had to overcome a lot of people who weren’t sure and who didn’t recognize style or ability was and so that was a big wake up for me because I didn’t know that.”
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