Posted January 26, 200817 yr comment_5427514 http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/h...t.asp?aID=21928 Mike Adamle, a former NFL player who hosted the original American Gladiators, signed today with WWE. He debuts backstage in the Mean Gene role at the Royal Rumble and will work Monday's on the Raw brand. This is so beautiful that it deserves its own topic. MIKE ADAMLE.
January 26, 200817 yr comment_5427523 May I ask why? If you didn't grow up in the late 80s/early 90s you can't truly appreciate how awesome this is. Mike Adamle!! I was joking a few weeks ago about hiring Todd Christensen but never thought they'd hire the Gordon Solie of American Gladiators!
January 26, 200817 yr Author comment_5427524 http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/adamle Mike Adamle joins WWE By Greg Adkins Written: January 25, 2008 As co-host of the original American Gladiators series, Mike Adamle has witnessed his fair share of punches, kicks and body slams. Good thing, too. All the better to prepare him for his latest role: WWE on-air personality. Best known for his Gladiator role (1989 – 1996), Adamle joins the WWE broadcast team this Sunday at the Royal Rumble, where he’ll get his feet wet interviewing Superstars. From there, Adamle will join team Raw on Monday nights doing, as he describes it, “a little bit of everything.” Growing up near Chicago, the sportscaster says his ties to wrestling go way back. “I remember going to see matches with my Dad and my sister,” Adamle fondly recalls. “We would watch Bobo Brazil do his move called the Coco Butt, [a head butt].” Adamle says he appreciates the innovation of Superstars such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and current American Gladiators co-host Hulk Hogan. “Anytime you have an athlete who’s remembered years afterward, that’s special,” he says. These days, Adamle admires a host of Superstars, but when pressed on which pair he’d particularly be thrilled to see clash, the man who’s covered two Olympic Games doesn’t hesitate. “Triple H going up against Randy Orton would be a great match,” replies Adamle. “You’ve got two tremendous athletes and a lot of showmanship.” As a former NFL running back in the early 1970s, Adamle says he’s encouraged by the showier aspects of sports-entertainment. “Even as a [football player], I always felt I was an entertainer first,” he says. “After I’d make a great play on special teams, I’d try to wave to the crowd. Now, when someone scores a touchdown and celebrates, they’re penalized. In the WWE, they’re encouraged.” Adamle’s NFL days may be behind him, but that doesn’t mean he’s confined to the couch. Several years ago, after feeling a few aches and pains and having put on some extra poundage, Adamle decided to refocus by training for a triathlon. “I finished in about 14 hours,” recalls Adamle of his first crack at the competition. Since then, he’s competed in four more triathlons and shaved roughly two hours off his time. Despite being so fit, however, Adamle says he’s more comfortable interviewing Superstars as opposed to battling them. “I feel like I’m not big enough to compete against these guys,” says the 5-foot-9-inch Adamle, with a chuckle. “They’d have to start me off against Hornswoggle.”
January 26, 200817 yr comment_5427528 May I ask why? If you didn't grow up in the late 80s/early 90s you can't truly appreciate how awesome this is. Mike Adamle!! I was joking a few weeks ago about hiring Todd Christensen but never thought they'd hire the Gordon Solie of American Gladiators! Still don't see it. Although, based on the article above, it sounds like he's in better shape than most of the roster. I doubt he'll be the Mike Adamle that was on Gladiators in this WWE, either.
January 26, 200817 yr Author comment_5427529 I doubt he'll be the Mike Adamle that was on Gladiators in this WWE, either.You mean that figuratively, right?
January 27, 200817 yr comment_5427535 Agreed that this is a kewl signing by the whiff. I suspect he'll take Jimbo's spot eventually. John
January 27, 200817 yr comment_5427538 I suspect he'll take Jimbo's spot eventually. Cue the ritual humiliation and the subsequent milking of the martyrdom in 10, 9, 8,...
January 27, 200817 yr comment_5427554 I doubt he'll be the Mike Adamle that was on Gladiators in this WWE, either.You mean that figuratively, right? Where's that rolling eyes smiley? Nah, I think it's this one: Anyway, he will do exactly what he's scripted to do in the WWE. Better?
January 27, 200817 yr Author comment_5427555 Everyone understands that's what his job entails. We think that he'd do it better than most of their more recent hires.
January 27, 200817 yr comment_5427556 Don't get your hopes up. People have been applying that same hopeful attitude to a lot of incoming characters/wrestlers/announcers etc. and been summarily disappointed.
January 27, 200817 yr comment_5427560 I suspect he'll take Jimbo's spot eventually. Cue the ritual humiliation and the subsequent milking of the martyrdom in 10, 9, 8,... Scratch that. Looks like Jimbo just signed a new two year deal. Then again... that could be the dreaded Vote of Confidence handed out to Jim. John
January 27, 200817 yr comment_5427561 http://www.agdomain.rockfacemedia.com/imag...ics/adamle6.jpg Don't get your hopes up. People have been applying that same hopeful attitude to a lot of incoming characters/wrestlers/announcers etc. and been summarily disappointed. I don't think Bix is implying that Mike will come in and be "Al Michaels in his Prime good". More along the lines of this being pro wrestling and the Wheef, there's the potential for some good campy fun with Mike given his Gladiators experiance. John
January 27, 200817 yr Author comment_5427565 Don't get your hopes up. People have been applying that same hopeful attitude to a lot of incoming characters/wrestlers/announcers etc. and been summarily disappointed. I don't think Bix is implying that Mike will come in and be "Al Michaels in his Prime good". More along the lines of this being pro wrestling and the Wheef, there's the potential for some good campy fun with Mike given his Gladiators experiance. Exactly. He's a sports guy and a talented broadcaster who has experience with a somewhat similar TV product (where he was excellent) and wouldn't have feelings of being "above" wrestling, which has happened to other wrestling announcers with sports backgrounds, negatively affecting their work. It's a long-running Meltzer talking point that Coachman will never improve as an announcer because he sees himself as above the job and refuses to do research and work at improving himself.
January 27, 200817 yr comment_5427566 Adamle brings credibility too because he has done NFL & College football telecasts for well over 20 years and him being a solid broadcaster helps his cause.
January 27, 200817 yr comment_5427568 Everyone expects him to replace JR, and I guess he probably will since they seem so hellbent on getting rid of Ross, but I think he'd be far better as the backstage interview guy they've been looking for since Mean Gene left. One of the most underrated aspects of the 80s was how good Gene was at getting stuff over just buy his facial reactions to what guys were saying.
January 27, 200817 yr comment_5427571 He's being used in the Okerlund role. That's just the starting point. It's likely that they have more in mind for him than that. On the point someone made about him being older than Ross... technically, "yes". But Jimbo looks about 10-15 years older than he is. Some of that is the Bell's palsy... some of it is the weight... no doubt some of that is the stress of being in the middle of this insane business for 20+ years. John
January 27, 200817 yr Author comment_5427574 I don't doubt that they're grooming him, I was just replying to what sek said about what he thought would be the best use of Adamle's talent. Also, I'm curious as to how Vince thinks this is getting back at Hogan, because you know it's tied into the Hogan-hosted revival of AG being a hit on NBC during a time where WWE's NBC specials do mediocre numbers.
January 28, 200817 yr comment_5427580 So tonight Adamle interviewed, in his own words, "Jeff Harvy". Whoops. Not quite a Shockmaster, but it's always exhasperating (and funny) to see someone fuck up their debut.
January 29, 200817 yr comment_5427661 It's also not really that big of a deal, considering how often Jim Ross screws up names. If it happens frequently, it's more of an issue. I'm not coming down on you specifically, I just think people are making too big a deal of one mistake. But I guess you never really do get a second chance to make a first impression.
January 29, 200817 yr comment_5427667 Speaking of screwing up names, with Buffer out there I'm happy Bret Clarke wasn't in the Rumble.
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