CUBAN ASSASSIN FIDEL SIERRA ON PARAGON PRO WRESTLING, HOGAN,MORE
- 08/04/2015 (12:32:28 pm)
- Bob Mulrenin
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Show: Interactive Wrestling Radio courtesy of http://www.WrestlingEpicenter.comGuest: "Cuban Assassin" Fidel Sierra
Date: 08/01/15
Your Hosts: Patrick Kelley & James Walsh
NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the passing of Roddy Piper. We will be having the "Cuban Assassin" on again to discuss Roddy. But, in the meantime, this broadcast is dedicated to his memory. Rest in peace.
Very few wrestlers have a track record as well respected within the wrestling industry as the legendary "Cuban Assassin" Fidel Sierra. In our 421st interview, we welcome the legendary superstar to our show for the very first time to discuss his involvement in Paragon Pro Wrestling, his career, and of course the hot topic of the day, the Hulk Hogan "racist" debate.
You can listen in MP3 format at http://www.WrestlingEpicenter.com. We also have an embedded YouTube video to listen and watch as well. It is free. Just come on by! Much more than the below overview is discussed. We jsut tried to hit on the key points.
On Paragon Pro Wrestling:
"Paragon Pro Wrestling is a great pro wrestling company. It is the format of the 80's with a twist, I call it. Some of the great talent... I call him "Big Money" Tyshaun Prince. What a great athlete! We've got Jessey Sorensen. Now, we've got Wes Brisco on board. We've got Joey Ryan, Gangrel... Gangrel and Tyshaun have a big feud going on!"
On the young talent in Paragon Pro:
"Hammerstone and Chamberlain, what a great tag team they make!" Sierra also has high praise for the "Whirlwind Gentlemen" as well as for the ladies, Lisa Maria Varon (alias Victoria, Tara) and La Rosa Negra. On Negra, he says, "How Vince hasn't 't sign her by now, I don't know!"
On the Portland territory and Don Owen:
Sierra says Portland was a great place to work.He jokes that he was brought in under a mask, after just working World Class, to wrestle as "The Destroyer". He said he told Don Owen that there was already a destroyer but Owen said this is Pacific Northwest and he doesn't care! He says one night, they had to turn away several thousand people because it was full and he saw that Don Owen was actually mad about that. He asked why he was mad and Owen felt the fans would be mad at the company and not come back. He says that speaks to what a great guy Don Owen was always thinking about the fans.
On why the Bario Brothers never were pushed hard in WCW:
"We were given all kinds of promises," says Sierra. "We were unmasked by the Nasty Boys. Ricky Santana wanted to talk to Eric Bischof at Universal or wherever it was. I told him we could get fired for this!" Apparently, at the meeting, Santana asked Bischoff point blank why no Latino stars of any kind were getting pushed. Sierra said, "He looked back with... deer in headlights and said, "I honestly can't answer that"." Sierra says Ricky went back to Puerto Rico to wrestle and he was still there. But, all of a sudden you had guys like Konnan (who Sierra says he loves) being brought in and the Latino World Order later on. He feels their conversation with Bischoff helped prompt the influx of Latino wrestlers into the company.
On his feud with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan on WCW Saturday Night:
Sierra says they had a good feud going on. Tensions were high between Cuba and the US and they were working that well on TV. He says their flag match got over a 3 rating for Saturday Night and then there was a Hulk Hogan match on Nitro and Nitro did not do as high of a number. He says management told Jimmy Hart that because Saturday Night was doing that well, he had to end the Assassin/Duggan feud. He says both he and Duggan were disappointed because it was working and getting positive reactions for WCW Saturday Night.
On the recent Hulk Hogan "racism" stuff:
"I don't believe Hulk Hogan to be a racist at all," says Sierra. Sierra goes on to say he was asked to do an interview in the Tampa TV area about this very subject and he said it like it is. He considers Hogan a friend. He doesn't feel Hogan is racist at all. If he told us all the slurs he's heard said by many of the talent both on each other's race and otherwise, we'd realize this is being taken way too far. Sierra says he thinks sometimes things like this are used to distract us from the other, important, things that are going on so we talk about and focus on something else. James says we should still be fuming about and getting Purple Hearts for the 5 marines that were just shot in Chatanooga, TN. Sierra agrees and says, "God bless them."
On an Andre the Giant story, as he teamed with Andre in Japan:
Sierra tells a story about being encouraged to try a drink named after Andre in Japan called the "Black Machine". Sierra asked what it was and was told it is rum and coke. Sierra happens to like that so he tried it. "What they didn't tell me it is in a big glass and full of rum and maybe an inch of coke. So, I had two of those and then I ahd one more and went outside... Oh my God! That wind hit me and Andre just laughed at me because he got me. They took me upstairs to my room in a luggage cart!"
On WWC:
"The fans in Puerto Rico, they love their wrestling. It is the only place that the people still get with every punch. They love their wrestling. The key there is Carlos (Colon) and the people he has running it there always give them great wrestling" Sierra says the third to last time he was in Puerto Rico, the main event was Carlos Colon versus the Invader in the second time they had ever fought. He says two guys well over 60 put on an amazing match and the place was so packed, 3,000 people had to be turned away.
On the "older talent" being used:
"I hate to break it to promoters but the fans want to see the old guys," says Sierra. He says promotions sometimes think it ahs to be all young guys all the time but the older guys can draw a crowd and also can teach the younger guys. He says Paragon Pro Wrestling has a good understanding of this and the fans are still hungry for the guys from the 80's and 90's.
On Curt Hennig:
Sierra says he brought Hennig in to Puerto Rico to work a few shows and it was incredible. This was right around the time Hennig returned as Mr. Perfect to the WWE. He says he felt Vince held a grudge on Hennig because he didn't use him well. "Some people say it is giving back", Sierra says. He doesn't believe that was what was happening there.
On Paragon Pro Wrestling backstage:
"Paragon is going to be something to watch", says Sierra as we circle back to Paragon Pro Wrestling. He says backstage has a lot of great talent helping craft the show into a fantastic mix of old school style with a twist. He says "The Grappler" Len Denton from the Portland territory is also involved backstage. James puts over Todd Kenely and Kris Koss. Tickets are available for their next TV taping on August 4th in Las Vegas, Nevada at Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.paragonprowrestling.com.
On what else he's doing now:
Sierra owns Crazy Dave's Sports Bar in Largo, Florida. Visit them online at http://www.crazydavessportsbar.com. He says it is a sports bar but their specialty is the "9 Inch Cuban" which is a 9 inch Cuban Sandwich that his wife, known to us wrestling fans as Fantasy, came up with the recipe of. I bet that would go great with a "Black Machine"!
On his Birthday:
Sierra just celebrated his Birthday on Monday at the Crazy Dave's Sports Bar. He said it was a lot of fun and his good friend Shane the Glamour Boy, Shane Sewell who was a HUGE draw in Puerto Rico and a TNA referee, surprised him and stopped by. Sierra and James then put over Shane as being so talented.
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