By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
DAZN interview with Arn Anderson
Interviewer: Steven Muehlhausen
Available at DAZN.com
DAZN: You have reformatted the podcast. I love the way you’re doing it now, as it’s known as the early years of ‘Marty Lunde.’ Arn Anderson’s real name is Marty Lunde for people who don’t know or live under a rock. What went behind the decision to flip the format of the podcast?
Arn Anderson: “Let me just tell you the honest God’s truth. When I got fired from WWE, and was unable to talk about it, but was not sad about it. I was so burnt out at doing that job. The travel was unbearable. The pressure was unbearable. The rules changed day to day. I told myself when I got canned, I was sitting at home, and I went, ‘You can have a new beginning here.’ I’d gotten to the point, to be honest with you, where I did not like the business. I never thought I’d say that. I was just burnt completely out. But I swore I was not going to be that bitter wrestler that had a hell of a career, and if I never, ever am around another wrestling match and it cuts off today, I got no complaints. I’m very fortunate to have spent all this time. It’s 40 years in the business. I don’t want to be that bitter guy that turns around now and starts to kick everybody in the ass and blame everybody, and I don’t want to be that guy.
“I want to enjoy what’s left of my career and my son’s career as long as I can and feel good about it. I saw myself week after week critiquing those pay-per-views for WWE, and I’d tell the truth is I saw it, but it came across as just bitching and being bitter. I would read comments from some of the people on our Twitter page for the podcast, and they would go, ‘Why’s he always so negative? He doesn’t sound like he’s having fun.’ It woke me up because I listen to you guys. What you say is what we do. If you don’t do that, you’re foolish. I’m sitting here. I’m not laughing. Conrad’s [Thompson] a guy you could laugh with and laugh at some time. We better laugh at ourselves sometimes. So I decided, I don’t think because everybody has a beginning, middle, and end in life.
“I don’t think we went back and just covered the rough road that I had because it might make some people feel better about themselves that they’re not alone out there and rough childhoods or not having parents and having grandparents step up. And all these things that it happened to me growing up as I was very, very poor, and making it to where I can provide a nice living for my family and my children go to college. They didn’t go on scholarships. It came out of dad’s pocket, but it’s the best money I’ve ever spent. I want to stay positive. I want to be a guy that people enjoy listening to and being around. And it’s funny, I’ve gotten more response by just, and we’ve just gotten to about the fourth year in the business. We haven’t got to the Crockett stuff and WWF stuff and back to WCW. We got a long way to go. We’re just now finishing up Pensacola.”
We also discussed his son Brock Anderson’s AEW debut, talent he had difficulty working with, and more.
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