NOTES & NEWS FOR FRIDAY 5/30/14

WrestlingFigs > Wrestling News Posts > NOTES & NEWS FOR FRIDAY 5/30/14

NOTES & NEWS FOR FRIDAY 5/30/14

05/30/2014 (5:39:55 pm)
Bob Mulrenin

UPWA, Chikara, Dory Funk Jr, Mario Mancini, Eric YOung, Jose Luis Rivera.

Recap of Dory Funk, Jr. on In Your Head Wrestling Radio, 05/14/2014
by Vic Schiavone

Host Jack E. Jones welcomed former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk, Jr. to IYH Wrestling Radio. Dory is the fifth longest reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion of all time, holding the title for over four years.

Highlights included the following:

* Was it intentional that your brother Terry was the more hardcore wrestler and you were the more technical wrestler, or was that just your personalities?

“I guess it probably reflects our real personalities. You wouldn’t believe it, but we both had the same teacher, who was my father, Dory Funk, Sr. He had a side of him that was a great wrestler, he was an amateur wrestler from Indiana University and had a terrific wrestling career, but he also was the king of the Texas Death Matches. Some of the bloodiest battles I’d ever seen in my life took place when I was a kid in Amarillo, Texas, watching my father. So, I guess my brother picked up one side of what my father taught, and I picked up the other side.”

* What was it like to have a four-year run as NWA World Champion?

“There is nothing like being in the ring performing for the wrestling fans…It’s what you do all the hard work in wrestling for; it’s for the performance. That’s the most pleasure in wrestling. It’s not like it was a grind; it was a pleasure. At that time, with the leadership of the National Wrestling Alliance and Sam Muchnick, every place I went was a first-class trip. It was the best hotels; it was fabulous money and a fabulous way of life. It gave me the opportunity to provide my family will all that they
needed at that time. I enjoyed every minute of it, especially the time in the ring. There is another part of it that you mention, and that is the part of being away from home, and that’s a sacrifice that you have to make, but I think it was good for everybody. I think it was good for family, I think it was good for me, and I certainly enjoyed it and had a wonderful time doing it.”

Other topics discussed included:
* What did he think of the name “Hoss” Funk while he was in the WWF?
* When did he know for sure that he was going to get in the wrestling business?
* Did he have a favorite territory to wrestle in?
* How would he rate Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen in terms of great big men in the wrestling business?

Dory Funk, Jr. will be appearing at the New England Pro Wrestling FanFest 2014 on Saturday, June 21, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, Rhode Island. For additional information, go to http://nepwhof.weebly.com/. Also, for information on his
wrestling school, go to www.dory-funk.com.

This interview is available for listening at http://www.iyhwrestling.com/viewnews.php?autoid=24643
or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z02eqhOqEDs

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Eric Young talks Impact Wrestling, new show No Limits and more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwiwKSNIFfc

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UPWA

"Chaos Theory"

http://www.theupwa.com

Sat. May 31st

National Guard Armory

Wilmington, NC

Doors open at 7pm est.

Belltime: 7:30pm est.

Tickets: $10 Advance $15 at the Door

Featuring:

Carolinas champion Daniel Messina and Xavier Rush

vs.

Former WCW/NWA star Stro "The Maestro of Wrestling"

and L.A. Tank

UPWA Heavyweight champion Pete Nixon

defending his championship against an opponent of

Ulrich Von Vorse's choosing

UPWA Tag Team champions Team Sexxy

defends their championships

Plus: Sheik Kassir Assad , Drake Diamond, Mo Hill, Samantha Starr, Steven Hunter, Travis Young, and more stars of the UPWA.

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Recap of Mario Mancini on In Your Head Wrestling Radio, 05/21/2014
by Vic Schiavone

Hosts Jack E. Jones and One Inch Biceps welcomed former WWF wrestler Mario Mancini to IYH Wrestling Radio.

Highlights included the following:

* You said your career didn’t turn out the way you wanted it. Why do you think that is?

“Earlier in my career, ’85-‘86, I had a reputation…when I would come back from a match, a house show, they would shake their head and go, “Man, you work hard in that ring.” I was known as a real hard worker; I put a lot into it. I took pride in what I did; I took pride in my execution of the moves and the rhythm. That’s the thing that might be missing today. There’s a rhythm in there, there’s timing, there’s all kinds of psychology in professional wrestling that I was fortunate enough to be taught by the icons in this business...I don’t know…everybody wants to be over; I just never got over.”

* Pat Patterson seemed to sabotage every chance you had to get pushed in the WWF. What did Pat have against you?

“Well, (Steve) Lombardi was his guy, in more ways than one. So, we were in the New Haven Coliseum and I decided that I was going to talk to Pat Patterson. I said, “Pat, I’ve been around for awhile now…there’s nothing I didn’t do…listen, please.” And he goes, “I like you, the office likes you, just be patient,” and he walked right away from me. He was about ten feet away from me and I said, “My ass isn’t cute enough for you?” He said, “What did you say to me?”, and I said I didn’t say anything...and he goes, “No, I didn’t think you did.” Lombardi was his guy, and Lombardi had the same job I did, and when Lombardi got his break I didn’t keep my mouth shut. I said a lot of things, because as far as I was concerned he couldn’t wrestle his way out of a wet
paper bag.”

* You brought up the term “jobber” to describe your role in wrestling. Do you prefer the term “jobber” or “enhancement talent”?

“You know what? I get really offended when I hear “enhancement talent”; I really do. I get offended when I hear that, you know what I mean, because you’re not in the car with me driving home at two o’clock in the morning while I’m white-knuckling my steering wheel because I had to put somebody over that had less talent than I did. That always bothered me. I got to go in there and get a high knee and get the back of my hair cut from somebody I probably could have stretched out in 45 seconds. But because he grew up since he was a child with a tall guy with blond hair and yellow trunks and boots, he got what he got. So, talent enhancement? By 1988, I knew what
I was there to do, and I looked at Ray Hernandez and I said, “Ray, if this is what I’m gonna do, I’m gonna be the best one here. Nobody’s going to be able to do a job like me”…It is what it is…It bothered me for a long time, but later in life I kind of sat back and thought and said wait a minute. I was there eight months before WrestleMania I…I was the last match they saw with (Paul) Orndorff before WrestleMania I when I got a pile driver on the concrete floor. I was the last match they saw when Bundy gave me two avalanches and three splashes. I was the last match they saw when (Randy) Savage gave me two elbows. I was the debut match of King Kong Bundy. I was the debut match of Demolition. SD (Jones) and I were the debut match of the Hart Foundation. I was the debut match for Big Bully Busick. I was the debut match for The Undertaker…So, I look back and I go “I was there at a pretty monumental time,” and
I’m very thankful that I was in wrestling when I was.”

Other topics discussed included:
* When did he start with the WWF?
* What offer did he get from Bret Hart that he wishes he had taken him up on?
* Why did Don Muraco get into a shoving match with him when he was on his way to the ring one night?
* Which wrestler coming into the WWF was the reason he couldn’t put his initials on his trunks?
* What happened the night King Kong Bundy wanted to put him over?

Mario Mancini will be appearing at the New England Pro Wrestling FanFest 2014 on Saturday, June 21, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, Rhode Island. In addition, that night he will be inducted into the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. For additional information, go to http://nepwhof.weebly.com/.

This interview is available for listening at http://www.iyhwrestling.com/viewnews.php?autoid=24653 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zePag5xfxA

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Recap of Jose Luis Rivera on In Your Head Wrestling Radio, 05/21/2014

by Vic Schiavone

Hosts Jack E. Jones and One Inch Biceps welcomed former WWF wrestler Jose Luis Rivera to IYH Wrestling Radio.

Highlights included the following:

As a member of Los Conquistadors, you were part of a big angle at the 1988 Survivor Series with the double turn of the Powers of Pain and Demolition. What was it like to be part of that big event?

“It was great to be in the building; what’s better is that we were the last tag team to go out. We stayed with the Powers of Pain at the end. That was great; everyone thought that we were the ones who were going to come out. Even Jesse Ventura said we didn’t have a chance with those guys; we made them look different at that.

You ended up in a boxing match against Bob Orton. What was that like putting together?

“Well, they had gotten somebody before me, and he didn’t like it because the other guy wasn’t making him look good. They asked me if I wanted to box him and I said yeah, no problem; I’ll do it…It was something different; they liked it. We didn’t have too much time, but we did it.”