Even if he's making $200k, or even $100k, he's not paying road expenses, he's got a whole lot less travel, he's in his home country, he's a top star... you knock that out of a downside from the WWE and it's equal if not less.

Sometime you get more out of a shoot interview that you would expect. René Dupré's shoot was pretty interesting as the guy comes off as pretty damn straight and honest about everything, including his own drug use, and the toxic working environement of the WWE. Unsurprisingly, he called Bradshaw a big bully and an asshole, he said he was basically callled a "french faggot" everey day he came to work by this big fuck. He rightfully says that had he been a homosexual, this would have been sexual discrimination. Gives his own version of the story of the Bob Holly beating, which is interesting too. Said Holly was a big office stooge, which doesn't surprise me either. He's got a pretty interesting take on the Benoit thing to, which make sense on paper. Pretty funny to see him talk like an old veteran about paying his dues, as he worked in his father's promotion since he was a teen for shit money for years before making it into the WWF. Does lots of funny impersonations (McMahon, Ace, Corny). Loner kind of guy, so he cames off arrogant in the locker room despite basically just not being a party guy nor a big socialite. Shy but laid-back as fuck. Loves Japan, married a japanese woman. Interesting how he also talks about Grenier kinda looking down at him as he's from Montreal while Dupré is from the Maritimes so he speaks more like the Acadians do.

I want to see the Dupre shoot myself, but no way I can justify paying for it and I'm too lazy to go out o my way to find it illegally. Does he talk about the plan to reopen the Maritimes for this summer, or did that news break after it was recorded?

It was recorded earlier, at the time of the interview he was talking about maybe returning to Japan.

 

(he was also playing with a lighter and a cigarette during the whole interview. Always find it od to see wrestlers smoke. BTW, he was also pretty open about his use of roids).

Darren Young tore up his knee and will be out till around October. Sucks for PTP fans even if their push seemed to be ending soon anyway

Maybe they can push Titus as a singles guy. I love that guy.

Darren Young tore up his knee and will be out till around October. Sucks for PTP fans even if their push seemed to be ending soon anyway

DY's gonna be lucky to have a job when he returns.

Yea there were rumors of a titus singles push anyways so this pretty much expedited it. Sucks as it takes a team away from the developing tag scene

I'm not saying he'd get the rocket, at all, but I do think he has more of a shot than Yoshi Tatsu.

I wasn't responding to anything you wrote.

 

I saw these comments:

 

That doesn't even get into the gigantic contract WWE would have to hand over to Okada to get the guy, which automatically means he'd get a rocket shoved up his ass. I like Tatsu too, but it's truly a horrible comparison every way you look at it, Mike.

There is absolutely no way in hell they're getting him without paying him an ass load of money, meaning that he absolutely, unequivocally will get a rocket shoved up his ass.

And thought they were pretty damn humorous.

 

John

Okada is making 6 figures. Tanahashi makes like $350,000 or so and I imagine Okada makes near that.

Tanahashi is 11 years older, has worked for the company 5 more years, and has been on top since 2006. Okada got up there in 2012. The person who likely makes close to Tanahashi is Nakamura, who has been up there as long.

 

The WWE isn't going to "match" Okada's deal in New Japan. They would blow smoke up his ass on the promise/potential of more money in the US, and of being a Star in the US, which gave some people a hard on (Inoki and Sasuke) and really didn't matter to some others.

 

They also aren't going to rocket launcher up his ass. You could count on one hand the number of times they've done that to a newbie in the last decade, and still have fingers left over. Brock... Batista... it's getting colder...

 

John

I know Brock started it, but can we please use another term for a big push other than rocket up the ass?

Did Brock start it? I can't even remember the first time I saw it or used it. Been around a good while.

Seemed like it was "strap a rocket TO his ass" for a long time, then evolved to the more graphic "UP".

Batista didn't really have the so called rocket. He debuted as a bodyguard for Devon. That failed and they put in evolution as the muscle. Evolution was set to make Orton the star. They just got lucky and Batista grew into a star.

 

Now for another one that did have a rocket was Bobby Lashley.

This is such a weird blurb. From the 37/95 Wrestling Observer:

 

Reason Dick Murdoch did those house show as Bob Backlund's second with no television build-up is that Razor Ramon complained that it was impossible to do a match with Backlund and needed help and Murdoch was provided as that help. Murdoch has been at the recent tapings but hasn't been used.

I'm not saying he'd get the rocket, at all, but I do think he has more of a shot than Yoshi Tatsu.

I'd hope so, Okada is a minor cultural phenomenon and Tatsu was half a decade into barely rising above scrote-washing level when he signed.

I'm not saying he'd get the rocket, at all, but I do think he has more of a shot than Yoshi Tatsu.

I'd hope so, Okada is a minor cultural phenomenon and Tatsu was half a decade into barely rising above scrote-washing level when he signed.

 

I'd pretty much quit following NJPW around that time. When exactly did Yoshi sign with the 'E? I remember Yamamoto left in 2007 for a "learning excursion" when Hirooki Goto's megapush started up.

@Bix -- Saw your comments on blu-ray.com as well as here on the Bret collection. Do you think this one is a worthwhile buy, now that you've sampled it?

 

I wonder if this set - or any set with pre-HD era footage -- is worth paying the extra for BD. . .

Funny trend on the ClassicsonDemand AWA TV showings lately is including a JIP arena match from the Twin Cities at the very end of the show, before the credits role. Strange part of it is that the match they are including has been one that happened 2 or 3 months after the tv show airs. The latest example is Tito Santana vs. Sgt. Jacques Goulet airing on the 9/5/81 TV, when the match itself happened on 11/8/81. The same thing happened a few months ago with a Laurent Soucie match.

 

I guess what this tells me is that they have worked quite a bit ahead in converting their AWA TV, and they feel the need to include a non-squash clip in the absence of the interviews that are not included on the TV shows.

KHawk, I have been watching the cats fight in your sig for about 2 minutes now.

KHawk, I have been watching the cats fight in your sig for about 2 minutes now.

The same. And I still can't figure which dog is Pat Patterson, which is Gerald Brisco and which is Tony Garea.

It happens to me every time KHawk post. I will read some of his post then eyes drift down to cat. Then I'll realize I've been staring at it for a few minutes.

KHawk, I have been watching the cats fight in your sig for about 2 minutes now.

The same.

 

Ditto. ...tritto? Anyway, yeah, where is that clip from? It's hilarious, I've never seen a bunch of dogs just randomly break up a cat-fight like that. By sheer accident, it kinda reenacts the CM Punk/Teddy Hart parking lot brawl (except that one had Sabu, Scott D'Amore, and Chris Sabin doing the pull-apart instead of a buncha puppies).

I love when the dog walks on by at the end.

KHawk, I have been watching the cats fight in your sig for about 2 minutes now.

Shit, the other night I think I watched it for almost 20 minutes.