Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest(s): Stevie Ray
Date: 02/13/20
Your Host: James Walsh

Why should you listen to this week’s episode of the Wrestling Epicenter? It is simple, really. Because suckas gots to know!

“Straight Shooting” Stevie Ray earns his nickname in an interview that pulls no punches. The former multi-time WCW and GWF Tag Team Champion as well as former WCW TV Champion and GWF North American Champion joins the Epicenter for his second time ever, last time being 15 years ago, to discuss his recent induction into the WWE Hall of Fame as well as to discuss a few career highlights. He also is promoting the recent GWF reunion happening in the Dallas area this May. You can find out more information about this reunion here.

Oh, did I mention the Stevie Ray interview is a video interview? You can see Stevie in the clip. New technology, kids! And, while there is a transcript below, listen to the interview. There’s cool stories about ribbing Rich Swann, Sid Vicious quoting Stevie Richards and Iceman King Parsons, and more that don’t translate to text well but are hysterical when heard.

STEVIE RAY:

On being a WWE Hall of Famer:
“Yeah, man! It is cool. But, you know, people were always bothering me about the Hall of Fame and I never really had thought about it. I always thought that the Hall of Fame meant that you left a mark in wrestling and people would always remember it and I never thought… You know, it was in the back of my mind. But, it is cool that it happened and hey, Harlem Heat is in the Hall of Fame!”

On there being some criticism that Stevie did not deserve the Hall of Fame nod:
“You know, I could give two shits what people say. We went into the Hall of Fame as a tag team. We went into the Hall of Fame as a record breaking tag team! We went into the Hall of Fame as a tag team that brought tag team wrestling back as it was dorment at the time. We went in as a tag team that actually got ratings – Our ratings were very high back in the 90’s and they know what the people liked. So, anyone that does not understand that can suck my dick. Anyone that doesn’t understand that can kiss my black ass!”

On why there was that criticism at all:
“The main reason for that was – What was the name of that guy who produces the cheat (dirt) sheets? Dave Meltzer! This is a guy who has played the people into thinking he’s a real advocate for professional wrestling and he isn’t. This is a guy who has lied and made up so much about wrestling and wants people now to take him as his word? And now Dave Meltzer has the unmitigated gall to say something about me? I didn’t even know who the hell Dave Meltzer was. But, I finally got a chance to see him in Vegas. The guy was scared to death when I walked out of the car! I’ve never seen or been that closed to a man with a face that fucked up! This guy has to be the most distrubring guy to look at. I mean, if this guy is married, I would hate to be his fucking wife! So, I say this to Dave Meltzer – Kiss my dick!” He continues (later in the interview), “A lot of people need stuff for click bait. What the hell does he know about wrestling? He’s never been in the ring. How many matches has he had? How many bumps has he taken? Anyone can sit back and profess to be an expert on something. That is the easiest thing in the world to do especially with the social media outlets we have now. But, what you’re doing (Dave) is faking the funk. Where I come from, faking the funk means you make people believe you’re an expert on something when you’re really not.”

On being a “Straight Shooter” as he’s known as “Straight Shooting” Stevie Ray:
“Hey man, I didn’t give myself that name. I tell people all the time, I have never been the best professional wrestler. I’ve never been the best athlete. I’ve never been the best talker… I’ve never been the best this or that or whatever. I’ve never been the best nothing. But, people paid good money to see me. At the end of the day, that is what it is all about.”

On the GWF reunion happening in May:
“Yeah, I was North American Champion and we were Tag Team Champions many times. As far as Global goes, that is another thing Dave Meltzer doesn’t know shit about – A person who has gila monster like skin on his face. Before me and my brother (Booker T) got to Global, there was nobody in that building (The Sportatorium). There was no one in that building. A month to two months after we arrived, the place was sold out. You dig what I’m saying? You know what that is? It is star power. In the entertainment business, you could be one of the best singers, you can be one of the best dancers, you can be one of the best actors… You could be Laurence Olivier! At the end of the day, that doesn’t mean you’re going to draw a dime if you don’t have star power. Star power is about selling tickets and putting asses in seats. Can you dig it?”

On the GWF being a great place to learn before going to WCW:
“Global was great. There were a lot of veterans there we learned from. I always tell people, we had our most fun when we were in Global. We might have had to work two, three times a night. Skandor Akbar would come to us and say, “Hey Stevie, can you guys work one more time tonight?” Me and my brother, we were tired. We done did two matches already. We never said no. We never said no. That is the kind of dedication that people that have never been in the wrestling business don’t know. To have that kind of heart and dedication and go out and do that for the love of the sport – We weren’t getting paid any money. But, there’s always some dickhead like Dave Meltzer out there trying to tear you down. Man, go suck a dick! Lick some nuts! Do something! Stay the fuck out of my fucking life! You know what I’m saying? Because if I was a real fucked up dude, I would spit in his face! Me from years yesterday, people know I would have spit right in his face. But, I ain’t like that no more, man. You’re a miserable person (Dave Meltzer.). I’m not. I love life. I love living. I love giving back to my community uplifting people the best that I can. I believe that is what I was put on this earth to do.”

On Harlem Heat’s Uncensored 1995 match with The Nasty Boys:
“I hated that fucking match. (laughs) That wasn’t us. We didn’t stay in our lane. But, we did it. We were good soldiers. We did what we were asked to do.”

On being in the War Games match at Fall Brawl 1998:
“I don’t even remember it. Is that the one with the Warrior? Davey fell on the trap door! I remember that spot (earlier in the night) I have no idea why I was in that match. I’m sorry, man. When I was doing that other podcast, Stand Up for Greatness, my co-host would ask me stuff like that and I’d tell him I don’t remember. He’d have to show me something to jog my memory. But, brother, I don’t know. You did just jog my memory. But, brother, hell if I fucking know.”

On “Suckas Gots to Know”:
“A lot of stuff I did I got from television shows or movies and I would just say it the way that Stevie Ray would say it. I got that from a movie called JFK. They went to Angola Prison to talk to a prisoner named Willie O’Keefe played by Kevin Bacon. At the end of the interview, the Jim Garrison character asked the Kevin Bacon character, “Why are you telling us this?” The Kevin Bacon character said, “Because people got to know!” (laughs)”

On Booker T recently saying that Harlem Heat isn’t done with the Revival in WWE:
“I’m done with the Revival. I never had anything to do with the fucking Revival. So, whatever shit he said, I don’t got nothing to do with it.”

On WWE recently filing trademark for Harlem Heat:
“I’m kind of torn about that. We have contracts for our likeness and all that. But to own the name… You know, really and truly, we never owned the name. We owned our names, Booker T and Stevie Ray. But, we never owned the Harlem Heat name. That was a name given to us by WCW.”

On AEW being on TNT and AEW’s style:
“Wrestling is a part of the entertainment industry. It is the natural progression. Look at music 25 years ago. Look at movies 25 years ago… Look at the NFL 25 years ago. The NBA… It is the natural progression. I know a lot of people love the past and want to live in the past. I’m one of the people who loves history but I will come out of the past and embrace the future.”