Author Archives: Jonathan Williams

James J. Dillon returns to Atlanta for NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend

By Jonathan Williams

While the wrestling manager is almost a lost are these days, it wasn’t that long ago that a good manager could help create the next wrestling star or faction. As the leader of the original Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Ole and Arn Anderson), James J. Dillon played just as big a role in what went on in the ring as his wrestling stablemates. A fixture in the National Wrestling Alliance territories of the ’80s (and a wrestler in his own right prior to that), Dillon maintained manegerial roles on and off camera for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) and World Championship Wrestling before retiring from the business in 2003. Though he’s no longer actively invovled in wrestling, he will be returning to his one-time galloping grounds in Atlanta this weekend for the NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend.

The NWA Fanfest is being held in Atlanta for the first time. You obviously have a lot of history with the NWA both in Atlanta and in Charlotte, where this fanfest is usually held. What are your thoughts on returning to Atlanta this weekend?

I’m excited for a lot of reasons. I’ve been to almost all of these fanfests and I’ve seen a tremendous growth in this whole thing that Greg Price has done. I come from the original days when it was typical for fans to meet one of their idols and be able to take a Polaroid picture. Now digital cameras are able to print out quality 8 x 10s that people can get signed while the individual is still there.

I was born and raised in New Jersey, so my original exposure to professional wrestling was in the Northeast. When I actually started my professoinal career, it was in Charlotte with Jim Crockett, Sr., and I saw a whole different approach to the profession largely because you didn’t have the huge population centers. So I wrestled in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee. I’ve had a tremendous career and have made a lot of friends over the years, so the fan in me comes out at this fanfest.

I spent a lot of time in Amarillo with Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk, and I’ve remained very close friends with Terry to this day. Both of them had a big influence on my career, so anytime I can see them, let alone together, is a big deal. Tully is one of the original Four Horsemen and I’m always excited to spend some time with Tully. Baby Doll will be there and, of course, anytime you have a list of icons, Roddy Piper is on everybody’s list. I don’t get to see him all that frequently anymore, so I’m excited that he will be there as well.

A lot of today’s fans may not remember or even realize that you were a wrestler before you managed the Four Horsemen. By the time you came to Atlanta, you mostly just managing wrestlers, right?

I had well over 3,000 professional wrestling matches and I’m very proud of what I accomplished as a wrestler. I actually started as a referee, so being a referee on a part-time basis for seven or eight years prepared me to be a better wrestler. And my wrestling career, along with my time as a referee, enabled me to be a better manager. So it’s all been part of a total learning experience. I had a wonderful career and I’m very proud of it.

Ole, who was another original member of the Four Horsemen, has had some serious health issues and it’s great that Ole is going to be there. Mr. Wrestling II was in Charlotte last year and I was not there. Then he suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized, but he’s back and is going to be there as well. Paul Orndorff – who I got to know very well, especially during the closing years of WCW, where he was the running the Power Plant – has had some serious health issues and it will be good to see him. Of course, I haven’t seen Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, who I’ve always acknowledged as the greatest manager there ever was and the guy that set the bar by which all the rest of us are measured, in a while. He couldn’t be there at the last few, so I’m really looking forward to seeing Bobby after a number of years.

I also haven’t seen Haku in years and I was in Japan when he first started his career. Then I was in Amarillo when he came to America for the first time and, of course, watched him develop into a huge star in our business. I haven’t seen Haku in years and I’m excited he’s going to be there. Pampero Firpo is about 80 years old and when I first started on a part-time basis in the late ’60s, he was around Detroit. And when I started in the Carolinas in the early ’70s, he was there teaming with Rock Hunter. I haven’t seen Pampero Firpo in all of these years. One guy that I’m really excited to see after a long time is “The Mongolian Stomper” Archie Gouldie. I first met him up in the Canadian Maritimes when I got a break up there in the early ’70s. After Amarillo, I went to Florida and he was wrestling in Florida, so I was around him quite a bit then. Archie left and went to Tennessee with Bearcat Wright as his manager and for some reason it didn’t work out. I was still in Florida when I got a call asking if I’d ever given any thought to managing, which I hadn’t. So we went to Dallas and that was the beginning of a significant chapter in my career. Archie’s been somewhat of a recluse and has had some serious health issues of his own. He’s been kind of reluctant to do any kind of appearances, but they’ve talked him into coming to the fanfest in Atlanta, so I’m really excited to see him. I haven’t seen him in 35 years.

Aside from seeing old friends and meeting fans, will you be part of any panels or other events?

Jim Cornette was supposed to host the Hall of Heroes dinner banquet this year, but he wasn’t able to make it. Of course, there’s no such thing as replacing Jim Cornette, but I’m happy to pitch in and host that. Everybody that’s being honored certainly is Hall of Fame worthy and deserving of the recognition. The one that really got my attention this year is that they’re honoring Ted Turner. He really was a friend of wrestling for so many years. When he started the Superstation way back in 1976, an integral part of the programming was Georgia Championship Wrestling with Gordon Solie, which became World Championship Wrestling. Anybody that’s been in the business as long as I have knows that there’s nothing more valuable than a show with a consistent time slot. I know it was on for more than 25 years and there are still people that talk about how they used to schedule their Saturdays around being home in front of the television at 6:05. It’s certainly deserving that Ted Turner, who has been so good to wrestling, is finally getting the recognition for being a friend to wrestling. He’s been very successful with other ventures, but what he’s done with the Superstation and just the fact that he has given away so much of his wealth for charitable things, it’s just great that he’s getting this kind of recognition.

You’ve been out of wrestling for a few years now. Do you think you’ll ever return to the business in any capacity?

Well, the profession has changed so much. Everything changes in life and change is not always for the better. I participated when WWE did the Ric Flair & The Four Horsemen DVD, I was at Raw when Flair was recognized for what was then to be his retirement match after WrestleMania with Shawn Michaels and I’ve also participated in some of the Legends of Wrestling roundtable discussions that WWE has on its Classics On Demand channel because we’re talking about the very things being emphasized this weekend, and that’s the tremendous history. Unfortuantely, unlike baseball, which is so statistical, and some other professional sports where the history is preserved, the only thing we have is our memories. A lot of times at functions like this, I end up seeing some of these guys for the last time. We lost Sir Oliver Humperdink, who was a dear friend, so it’s great that he’s being recognized at the Hall of Heroes this year, too.

NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend. $20-$224, free for children ages 10 and younger. Aug. 4-7. (Hall of Heroes Dinner & Awards. $75. 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5). Atlanta Airport Marriott, 4711 Best Road, Atlanta, Ga. 404-766-7900, www.jjdillon.com, www.nwalegends.com.

“Superstar” Bill Dundee brings some “Memphis Heat” to the NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend

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By Jonathan Williams

After moving to the United States from Australia in the early ’70s, “Superstar” Bill Dundee became a fixture in the Memphis wrestling scene alongside the likes of Jerry “The King” Lawler, “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart and “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. Perhaps best known for his multiple Tag Team Championship runs, Dundee has also held such titles as the National Wrestling Alliance Central States Heavyweight Championship, the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship and the Continental Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship. His career is chronicled in the new documentary Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin’, showing this weekend at the Plaza Theatre. Dundee, who will also be in Atlanta for the NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend, recounts some of his career with Wrestling with Pop Culture.

Aside from being a big part of Memphis wrestling history, what role did you play in the making of this film?

They got us all together and we did interviews. Then they just took the old tapes and put them together with the interviews. They talked to me, Lawler, [Jackie] Fargo and “Handsome” Jimmy. Take those away and what else have you got? In Memphis, wrestling was the number one show for 50 or 60 years. That’s a lot of people watching every Saturday.

Do you think this film accurately depicts the Memphis wrestling scene you were such a big part of? What have audiences thought of it so far?

I have every tape that’s in the film. There’s nothing new I haven’t seen. When I saw it last month in Memphis, people seemed to enjoy it. They had Lance Russell, Dave Brown, Jerry Lawler, Bobby Eaton, Bill Dundee and Jerry Jarrett all there live. So it wasn’t just on its own. We were all there. But people popped at the things they liked in the movie and they talked to us to thank us and let us know that they liked it.

Memphis Heat is screening at the Plaza this weekend and you’re scheduled to be at the NWA Fanfest. Will you be taking part in any panels or other events there?

I’ll be there from 2 o’clock to 5 o’clock on Saturday afternoon with Jerry Lawler if people want an autograph or just to come up and talk.

The legacy of the Memphis wrestling scene from that time is still apparent today with Lawler still active in WWE and you still wrestling from time to time. What do you think Memphis wrestling’s biggest contributions have been on today’s wrestling scene?

Well, you had three TV channels then. That was the biggest thing. You have 4,000 now. Wrestling was orchestrated mayhem and it wasn’t exposed, used and prostituted the way Vince McMahon has done to it today. You wouldn’t have been allowed to make that documentary 50 years ago. You had to be in the business before you was allowed to talk about it, but now everybody’s smart and everybody wants to be bookers and promoters and this and that. Now WWE is the only thing left because TNA sucks so bad that nobody watches it.

How often do you get in the ring these days?

I still do it a little bit on the weekends. But we’re all getting older and you just don’t want to do it no more. But there was one Saturday where Jackie Fargo, me and Lawler did a show and you couldn’t find an empty seat in the house. It wasn’t an arena or coliseum, but it was a pretty big building and people still want to come out.

NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend. $20-$224, free for children ages 10 and younger. Aug. 4-7. Atlanta Airport Marriott, 4711 Best Road, Atlanta, Ga. 404-766-7900, www.nwalegends.com.

Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin’. $6.50-$9. 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Aug. 5-7. Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce de Leon Ave., Atlanta, Ga. 404-873-1939, www.memphis-heat.com, www.plazaatlanta.com.

Rob Van Dam brings “The Whole F’n Show” to the NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend

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By Jonathan Williams

Rob Van Dam has held many championship titles and been known by many nicknames during his wrestling career. One of the few titles he has yet to hold is a National Wrestling Alliance championship, but that’s not stopping “The Whole F’n Show” from making his first NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest appearance in Atlanta this weekend. As he prepares for the fanfest (as well as a match against Crimson this Sunday at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling‘s Hardcore Justice), RVD talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about his career.

You’ve held many titles in wrestling, and you’ve held titles in companies that have previously been affiliated with the NWA, but you’ve never actually held an NWA title. How did you end up on this weekend’s NWA Fanfest given that you’ve never wrestled for the NWA?

I believe that to be true. One interesting, little-known fact that crossed my ears many years ago is that out of any other WWE Champion, I’ve held more championship titles than any other champion. Meaning that I have been the most decorated and diversified. That’s something that I’m proud of. An NWA title? No, I guess not.

The NWA was mostly defunct when I was coming up in the business. I think it was around for my first few years maybe, but shortly after that WCW was born and the NWA really kind of was unheard of for a while. Then some territories opened up under the NWA banner to carry on and one of those territories was in North Carolina with Greg Price. Greg Price has been a friend of mine for a long time. I met him way back in 1991 when I went to the Carolinas to wrestle Manny Fernandez. Greg Price was one of his promoters in the office and since that day, we’ve continued to do business and he’s always helped me out. I’ve always wanted to attend one of these because every year I hear that the NWA Fanfest is the largest wrestling convention that the fans get to go to. No matter where I’m at all year long for several years, I’ve always heard the fans asking, “Are you going to be at the NWA Fanfest this year, Rob?” I’ve always wanted to make it, but I’m always booked somewhere else. This year I finally get to make it.

The next day I have a pay-per-view for TNA Impact Wrestling, so I’ll be in Atlanta all day on Saturday signing autographs, taking pictures, meeting and talking with the fans and letting them fill my head with positive energy about how awesome I am and how I’ve impacted their lives.

This is the first time the NWA Fanfest has come to Atlanta, and your first NWA Fanfest. Is that a coincidence?

It’s really just a scheduling thing. [Price] usually has this in Charlotte, which is closer to his home base. I would have also been able to make it to Charlotte this year, but from what I understand this thing has been growing so big that having it in Atlanta will be advantageous for travelers to come in and out of the Atlanta airport. I know for sure that fans come to this thing from all over, from England, Australia and all over the country. They really look forward to it, so they make a vacation out of it. If you’re a huge wrestling fan, this is something you don’t want to miss. I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of my friends that I bump into here and there, and a lot of friends that I haven’t seen in years, so it’s a good time for us, too.

Many of the guests are legends of the industry, hence the name Legends Fanfest. How does it feel to be one of the few people appearing there that can clearly be considered a legend while also still actively wrestling?

It’s awesome. I’m really enjoying this part of my career where I’ve got more experience than most of the wrestlers and I know what I’m doing in the ring. At the same time, my body feels great and I can still move like when I was 25. There’s not a lot of wrestlers that fit into that category besides RVD. I feel like I’m a phenomenon because of that. I started professionally way back in ’89 and went to the Sheik’s school. And, of course, before that I was a huge dedicated fan and wrestling was a big part of my life. It’s pretty much been a lifelong thing and to be able to still go in the ring and do every move that I’ve ever done after 20-plus years is great.

Some of these guys helped make me a star. When I see Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, I think about back to 1992 or ’93 when the fans didn’t even know who Rob Van Dam was yet. I was wrestling Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and learning about the psychology and he was teaching me to hone my craft. A lot of these legends helped fill that spot.

Of course “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase will be there and he was part of your first on-screen wrestling experience.

Yeah, I was a fan that time when I got into the ring. I was in the crowd when they were doing the promotional piece where “The Million Dollar Man” would prove that everybody has a price. I was the most horrible negotiator in the world, by the way. He had been doing these bits on TV where people would keep raising the money. Like, he went to the emergency room in front of all these broken up people and said, “Nurse, I need a Band-Aid.” And she’d say, “Sir, you’ll have to wait.” Then he said, “Virgil, lay down $100.” And she said, “Sir, there’s a huge line.” And he said, “Virgil, lay down $200.” And she said, “Well it wouldn’t be fair…” And he said, “Virgil, $300” until she said, “Here’s your Band-Aid.” That was the whole deal, but I was so excited when I got to go in the ring and he said, “I’m going to give you $100 to kiss my hot, stinky, sweaty foot.” I don’t think he even finished the sentence before I kissed his foot. Then I was like, “Dude, Virgil. What’s up, bro.” I’ve learned how to negotiate a little better since then.

I was at another wrestling show later that month and I made it into the souvenir program. I was trying to show the person beside me, “You see this picture? You see that kid?” Right away the guy goes, “Oh, that’s all planted.” That’s the attitude with a lot of people with everything. But it’s that suspension of disbelief that you look for when you watch a movie or whatever. You want to forget about what’s draining your energy and invest your time into this, but some people won’t buy anything.

You’re taking on the undefeated Crimson this Sunday at Hardcore Justice. What are your thoughts on that match?

He’s still undefeated and that’s what he’s got going for him. Otherwise, I’d be like, “Who is this kid?” But the fact that he’s undefeated definitely makes people take notice. That’s what people noticed about Goldberg when he came in. And that’s what attracted me to the Ultimate Warrior when I was a kid. He was just crushing everybody and nobody could beat him. Crimson has that momentum and obviously he’s impressing a lot of people. He’s good, but then again I’m “The Whole F’n Show.” That’s how I’m looking at it for Sunday’s match.

NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend. $20-$224, free for children ages 10 and younger. Aug. 4-7. Atlanta Airport Marriott, 4711 Best Road, Atlanta, Ga. 404-766-7900, www.robvandam.com, www.nwalegends.com.

Damn! Ron Simmons scheduled to appear at NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend

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While he is best known to today’s wrestling fans for his emphatic response of “Damn!” during some of WWE‘s more absurd moments, Ron Simmons has had one of the most decorated careers in professional wrestling. Before his three World Wrestling Federation World Tag Team Championship reigns with Bradshaw, Simmons won the National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship in 1990 with Butch Reed (a title reign that was eventually recognized as the first World Championship Wrestling World Tag Team Championship). And prior to debuting in the WWF as Faarooq, Simmons made wrestling history by becoming the first recognized black World Heavyweight Champion in any promotion when he defeated Big Van Vader for the WCW title in 1992. Also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Simmons talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about some of his career milestones in preparation for next weekend’s NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend.

You became best known to mainstream audiences in the WWF as Faarooq, but you had your must successful run in the NWA and WCW where you became the first black World Heavyweight Champion.

Right. I tell you what, man. Probably the most memorable days were in the NWA, where I spent the beginning stages of my wrestling career. Some of the guys I encountered then, I will be seeing again at this convention, which I look forward to very much. Dusty Rhodes, Ronnie Garvin, Michael Hayes, “Superfly” Snuka, all the guys that came through there and helped me out so much during the formative stages of my career made it in the NWA. That is the most meaningful thing to me and now I’m getting a chance to see them again and relive some of those old memories. I’m really looking forward to this one more so than any that I’ve done in the past because it will give me the opportunity to be a fan myself again. Seeing some of the guys that I grew up watching, then had a chance to be in the ring with, as well as getting a chance to answer questions and talk to some of the fans, whether they want to ask me about football or professional wrestling, this is going to be an all-around great event. From honoring Gordon Solie right down to talking to all the great fans, this is going to be something for everybody of all ages. And it couldn’t be in a better venue than here in Atlanta.

This fanfest is usually held in Charlotte. Do you know why it is being held in Atlanta this year?

I think they know the market is here. Atlanta is where a lot of these guys came from and it’s where most of the legacy of the NWA was. Most of the fans really grew up watching these guys here in Atlanta, when we were doing most of our matches for TV tapings and things of that nature at the old Turner Studios. So this is the best location possible, I think, to do it.

Another guest this year is your old manager from Doom, Teddy Long.

He and I are going to be there together and I’m looking forward to seeing him. It’s going to be great. We were looking forward to my partner Butch Reed being there, but I’m not sure if he’s going to show or not. We’re still hoping that he does.

You’re still fairly active in the Georgia wrestling scene. What have you been doing in the area lately?

A lot of guys call me from the indie circuit for advice and have me come in and critique the matches and things like that. I love to go out and sit and watch the shows because it reminds me of when I started out doing matches at high schools and things of that nature. I spend a lot of time doing that when I can, and I still pop back up here and there with WWE.

Yeah, I still see you there every so often. You’re most recent appearance was on Raw in May for the Rock‘s birthday, right?

Yeah, that was the last one I did.

What is your role with WWE currently? Are you under any sort of contract there or do they just call you from time to time to make appearances?

No, not at this time. I’m just on-call and they still call me to ask for advice and to critique some of the guys and things like that. I like that role and it works out best for myself and them. At this stage of my career, after 30 years of being on the road, I’m really just enjoying living and being home with family.

Do you think you’ll ever have another run as a wrestler in WWE or elsewhere.

No. Like any other thing that’s physically involved, you’ve got to know when to say, “This is it. I’ve had a great time doing it, I’ve been successful in it and I’m not going to push it no more. I’m going to go out the way it is.” That’s the way I saw it. My football career was good to me, my body’s been good to me and throughout all of that, I’m not going to push it. I know when to say, “That’s enough.” And, hey, I’ve had a good time.

You had plenty of accomplishments as a wrestler, so I guess there’s really nothing for you to go back and prove.

Absolutely. I’m satisfied with it. You hit it right on the point. There’s nothing else for me to go back and accomplish. I had a good time, I accomplished what I wanted to, I worked hard at it and that’s where I want to leave it. One of the things I’m most thankful for is the fans for being there and supporting me through all the years. And that’s what I’m looking forward to doing at this fanfest.

Aside from meeting fans and signing autographs, will you also be taking part in any panels or anything like that?

Yeah. We’ll do some Q&As and things of that nature. Of course, with the dinners and banquets they have going on, it’s going to be really big.

A lot of younger fans may not know about your wrestling background with the NWA and probably just know that you show up sometimes and say, “Damn!” How did that catchphrase first catch on?

Anybody with ringside seats who was sitting there watching when things wouldn’t go the way I wanted them to in the ring, that’s what they would always hear me say in the middle of the ring. Sometimes that came across on TV, so after a while people seemed to get a big kick out of it. So I thought, “Why don’t I just incorporate that into the show?” It seemed to catch on pretty quick, so I just started using it from then on.

NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend. $20-$224, free for children ages 10 and younger. Aug. 4-7. Atlanta Airport Marriott, 4711 Best Road, Atlanta, Ga. 404-766-7900, www.nwalegends.com.

“Do Or Die” Chip Day challenges for the PCW Championship tonight

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Since his debut with Platinum Championship Wrestling last year, “Do Or Die” Chip Day has become a fan favorite who is consistently in contention for the PCW Heavyweight Championship. Though he has yet to win that coveted title, he gets another chance tonight in a main event match against current champion Grotesque at the Masquerade. With Grotesque now aligned with the invading Empire faction, and with Sacred Ground: Chapter 2 coming up in September, the results of Day’s match tonight could be detrimental to the fate of PCW in the near future. As he prepares for one of the biggest matches of his career, Day talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about this match and his overall role in PCW.

You were involved in the four-way match at the Masquerade a few months ago where Grotesque won the PCW title. Actually, you were the one who eliminated then-champion Shane Marx. How are you preparing for this one-on-one match against Grotesque?

During my time in PCW so far, I feel like the aggression just hasn’t been there. For the past few weeks I’ve been focusing on my striking and how I’m delivering my strikes. I’m doing less of the high flying stuff and just making sure I have the aggression and that killer instinct that I’ll need against someone like Grotesque.

Grotesque is now part of the invading Empire faction, which has kind of taken over PCW over the past few weeks. You have to anticipate that some of these guys will get involved in your match. Do you have anyone that will be in your corner in case that happens?

I’m going to try to have Kyle Matthews in my corner because he’s my best friend and me and him have been riding up and down these roads together for the last four or five years. I know he’s got a lot going on that night, so if he’s got too much to handle to be in my corner, at least I know he’s there morally to support me and will keep an eye out for me if anything starts to go bad. So I’ve got Kyle there to watch my back, as well as the rest of the PCW locker room.

You were absent from PCW for a while until recently. What was going on with you during that time?

Just a matter of being in demand in so many places. I had a show in Piedmont, Alabama that was requesting my services. Then I went on vacation for a week or two. I also was doing some work with Universal Independent Wrestling in Franklin, Georgia. But with Sacred Ground: Chapter Two right around the corner, I told everybody that I wasn’t going to be available from the time I got back from vacation until probably October or November so I could concentrate on PCW as much as I could.

Depending on the outcome of your match with Grotesque, you could be heading to Sacred Ground as the PCW Champion. If that happens, who would you like to defend that title against at Sacred Ground?

Steve [Platinum] has already announced that Davey Richards will be at Sacred Ground: Chapter Two. That would be a dream come true for me to be walking into the biggest show of the year for PCW as the PCW World Champion and defending against the Ring of Honor World Champion. Obviously that would be a big feather in my cap to have the PCW World Title, but I also think it would be a big stepping stone for me to test myself one on one against the guy that many call the best in the world right now. That would be something awesome for me.

You wrestled Richards right after Sacred Ground last year, at PCW’s first show at the Masquerade. You and Richards had an aggressive back and forth at one point and you seemed to hang with him pretty well.

Yeah, it was me, Davey, Shane Marx and Jay Fury. Davey took me to the limit. I don’t think I’ve been hit as hard as Davey hits ever in my career. That was a test, but I think I stood up to it alright.

You were not originally part of PCW when it started doing shows a little over a year ago. But you became a pretty big part of it a few months later. Why is PCW such a priority for you right now and how do you think it compares to other promotions you’ve wrestled for?

PCW is a priority for me because there’s something different with everything I’ve seen here. I really like that too, because if you see so much of one thing over and over again you kind of get burned out on it. When I came to PCW, I was given opportunities to do things that I wanted to do and how I wanted to do them. This show on July 28 is actually one year for me in the PCW locker room, so in the year I’ve been there I’ve had more big opportunities come my way because of wrestling for PCW. I got to wrestle one of my big influences, Davey Richards, when I got to PCW and I’m treated like I’m part of the upper card while at other shows I’m kind of lost in the shuffle it seems.

Platinum Championship Wrestling. Free for ages 21 and older, $5 for ages 20 and younger. 8 p.m. July 28. The Masquerade, 695 North Ave., Atlanta, Ga. 404-577-8178, www.platinumchampionshipwrestling.com, www.masqueradeatlanta.com.

“Diamond” Dallas Page relives “The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro”

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During the ’90s, World Championship Wrestling rose to Monday night dominance over the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) with WCW Monday Nitro, which went head-to-head with WWF Monday Night Raw for more than five years. Though WCW eventually lost the Monday Night Wars in 2001, Nitro definitely provided some exciting times that wrestling fans still recall fondly to this day. With The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro, WWE honors its former foe with a three-disc set of Nitro highlights hosted by one of WCW’s biggest stars, “Diamond” Dallas Page. Page talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about the Nitro DVD and the memories it brought up for him.

Former WCW stars Kevin Nash and Booker T recently returned to WWE, and there are still plenty of other people from WCW in the company. How did you end up hosting this DVD?

It was interesting because when they first asked me if I was interested in doing it, I was like, “Hell, yeah. I’m interested. I’m honored!” But I wanted to see the copy because it was very important to me what was said there. After I saw it, I said, “You don’t really want me to do this.” And they were like, “What do you mean? We want you to do it.” I said, “I just wouldn’t say some of these things about WCW. I want to talk about the best of and keep it really positive.” And they said, “Well, change it.” WWE really wanted to do something really cool and I actually talked to some friends of mine because I wanted to know what the fans wanted to see. So they gave me some great ideas and WWE was like, “Great!”

At the end of the video I say that it’s a crime to try to fit six years into one production. I hope people get to see some of your favorite stuff, but they sure missed a hell of a lot of mine. That’s why I say at the end that I’m ready for volume two. I liked what they did, but there’s so much that WWE could do with the footage they have. You could do a DVD set just on mine and [Randy] Savage‘s feud. Never mind Sting and [Hulk] Hogan. You could do three sets of DVDs on just the New World Order, maybe ten.

Have there been talks about doing a DDP DVD?

If this one sells well, a DDP DVD might be a good idea. I’d put my career up against anyone’s in terms of things that have never been done before. I would never compare myself to Ric Flair or Shawn Michaels or Dusty Rhodes. I don’t have the talent that those guys did, and I have monster respect for all of them. But I am the anomaly. No one did what “Diamond” Dallas Page did. I tried wrestling at 22, didn’t work out. When into the night club business, came back as a manager at 32 in the AWA [American Wrestling Association], worked one day a month, which got me on TV every week. Then I went to Championship Wrestling from Florida and worked under Dusty after he left the NWA [National Wrestling Alliance] and started his own territory. I didn’t know a wristlock from a wrist watch and the next thing you know I’m doing color commentary next to Gordon Solie. Then I tried out for the WWF, at the time, and WCW, and both of them passed. Then Dusty brings me in as a manager at WCW and they say I’m too over the top to be a manager. Magnum T.A. said, “We should have put you in a pair of tights and seen what you could do.” So I became a wrestler at 35 and the rest is history. No one ever did, or will ever do, what I did.

You’re also the one who brought Kevin Nash and Scott Hall into WCW originally as Vinnie Vegas and the Diamond Stud.

Exactly! I created Scott Hall’s character, which became Razor Ramon. Scott would be in the car with me doing impressions of Tony Montana from Scarface and that became “The Bad Guy.” The thing with the toothpick, we were walking out of a freaking Waffle House and I grabbed a toothpick and said, “Oh, I’ve got a great idea. When you do an interview, flick your toothpick into the camera.” Then I tagged with Kevin Nash and we were green, but we could work. That’s when I tore my rotator cuff, got fired, came back and they sat me on the bench. It took Hulk Hogan telling me over in Germany, “I don’t know what you’re doing to keep getting so much better, but whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. You and I have the ability to draw huge money together.” Then Hulk went to Eric [Bischoff] and said, “You need to do something with him.” That’s when I started getting the little pushes and we all know what happened from there. Then I became the oldest World Champion.

While watching one of your World Championship matches against Sting on this DVD, I was reminded of the signs people used to hold up at shows back then. There’s a great one that says, “DDP: The Hippies’ Champ.”

Yeah, that one would show up occasionally and I thought it was funny. You know, Sting was the only guy who could get away with never turning heel.

Yeah, even when he joined the New World Order he wasn’t a heel.

Right. The red-and-black were babyfaces. So it was just easier to work as a heel against him. I knew how to do that and he’s one of the few guys I could do that with. Goldberg, too. I flipped myself, and Bischoff was mad as hell at me for doing it. What happened was I came back and was in an angle with Scotty Steiner. I had never been to Toronto and I came out and the place went nuts. When I started talking about Steiner, they cheered and I thought they were cheering Scotty. They were really cheering the angle, but I turned on the people and cut a vicious promo. I remember going back and Bischoff saying, “What are you doing turning yourself heel?” I said, “The people were cheering for Steiner and I got pissed!” And that was all reality based, so I went with it. But he was like, “You’re one of our top babyfaces! You can’t just flip like that.”

Another moment that was missing from the DVD was when the nWo was really trying to get you to join and it looked like you were about to, but then someone jumped you from behind.

It was Dennis Rodman and Hulk Hogan.

I was surprised that wasn’t on the DVD, especially after the part where you say something to the effect of, “Who was the only superstar to never join the nWo? We’ll get to that later.”

I really wanted them to put the La Parka match in there. That was one of the greatest Nitro moments ever, and they said they liked it, but they didn’t put it in there. I can’t remember why they didn’t.

The whole thing with the nWo was the bookers at the time didn’t want me to drop the nWo. It was my idea and they drew that out for so long. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. There’s something positive that comes out of everything, you’ve just got to keep looking for it. I was a heel and I never fucking changed my promos. Just like Steve Austin in ’97, I just turned my disdain and disgust for the fans to the nWo. That’s all I did. And at some point I became a pure babyface, but that took years.

The same thing happened with the Four Horsemen and several others. It was WCW vs. nWo, so it didn’t matter if you were a face or heel.

One thing that was huge to me was Sting going into the rafters. The only babyfaces we really had were the Big Show [then known as the Giant] and Lex Luger. And Lex was 6’4″, 290 pounds of pure chiseled steel, so they had to beat Lex down. I had a legitimate angle with these guys because I was really tight, best friends, especially with Kevin.

Now that you’ve done this DVD with WWE, are you working on any other projects there?

I’m open. I went in to promote the DVD on Raw and it was great having fun with Booker in the back. There are four guys I really wish I could have worked with. One being the Rock, of course, so it would be the People’s Champion vs. the People’s Champion. Shawn Michaels would absolutely have been another. Triple H and Stone Cold are the other guys I really wish I had been able to work with. But interacting with Shawn on Raw was cool.

I’m really glad I did the DVD set and it would be a natural fit for them to keep me as a host. When people think of Nitro, they think of “Diamond” Dallas Page because I was there from the get-go to the ending. Goldberg was made over that time period, but I was there when we were nothing and we were way down the ladder. And I can remember Eric Bischoff saying, “We’re going to kick Vince McMahon‘s ass.” And I’d be thinking, “What are you smoking, man? How can you even say that?” But first you’ve got to say it and believe it, or else you’re never going to achieve it. And he did. I was there with him for that whole ride.

That Raw segment with Booker T and Shawn Michaels was great, when Michaels said he missed Nitro because he always had to work that night.

Yeah, that was great! It’s total bullshit because we all watched everything we all did. But he was working that thing when he said, “I’ll check that out.”

Sting was obviously a big part of WCW, and a lot of people think he deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Do you think he’ll ever go to WWE before he retires?

No, I don’t think so. Now that it’s PG, there might be a chance. But I think if Sting comes in it will be under his terms. He’s 52 now and he’s still out there doing his thing. I know how hard it is because I did house shows until I was 53. I don’t want to do it anymore. For Stinger to come back, what does he have to prove? The reason why he could do it is the face paint. He’s kind of ageless. I think he’ll be in the WWE Hall of Fame regardless. Sting is a guy they really want and I think they would do something really good with him.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com and www.diamonddallaspage.com.

Mary Magdalan puts a “N3RV” hold on the electro scene

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By Jonathan Williams

With a look that’s as vivid as her sound, Mary Magdalan mixes grime, glam, hip-hop and electro to create a musical experience that could be described as divine. With DJ/producer Gzus providing the beats, Magdalan lays down raunchy rhymes and hardcore screams that have caught the attention of such badass figures as current Absolute Intense Wrestling Women’s Champion and Dropkick Divas founder Jessicka Havok, who uses the song “Dirty Trash” as her entrance theme. “The chorus is ‘We don’t give a fuck’ and that’s simply the presence of my persona in the ring. The song’s beat is the way I move, and I am someone who will do whatever it takes in the ring to win – even if that means fighting dirty.”

Currently on tour promoting her third CD DIGI.N3RV (released this week), Magdalan takes a moment to discuss her name, sound and ability to impress someone like Havok.

Despite the variation in the spelling, the name Mary Magdalan definitely brings to mind a somewhat controversial historical female figure. Why did you decide to use that name for this musical project?

I picked Mary Magdalan because she was a woman who never got to speak her side.

Your music is kind of a weird amalgamation of hip-hop, electro and metal. Where would you say you were drawing your inspiration when started creating this music, the look and overall concept?

Gzus is the producer on this project and both Gzus and I really enjoy all types of music. For us, we wanted to just make music that didn’t really have any boundaries. So when we sit down to make music, that’s what we do. We don’t try to fit it into any one genre. We just try to do what we feel on each track.

From what I’ve heard and seen from you, I would guess you’ve also been inspired by creative sources outside of music. What would you say has inspired your in-your-face look and aesthetic?

I’d say my biggest inspiration in making music has been things that I’ve experienced, gone through and seen in my life. Definitely fashion plays a big part in it. For us, it’s just anything that we see that people create that inspires us to go write a song. I personally like to write from experience – things that I might have done, things that I might have seen, feelings I might have gone through – that’s always been my vessel for writing.

Jessicka Havok, one of indie wrestling’s most promising female talents, uses your song “Dirty Trash” as her entrance theme. How did that come about?

We were on tour and she came to the show in Cleveland. I met her after the show and she was super sweet and awesome. She really loves the music and she asked me if she could use “Dirty Trash” as her song. I was like, “Of course!” She just happened to come to a show and the rest is history. She decided to use it and I was really excited about that because she’s a really sweet girl.

Have you had a chance to see any of her matches?

I know that she’s badass. I’ve seen some of her stuff and she’s awesome, I can definitely say. We totally support her.

Has your music been used for marketing purposes like that elsewhere?

One of our songs is in a horror movie that’s coming out soon. I know there have been other people who have used our stuff in the past and whenever anybody wants to use our stuff, it’s awesome. It’s a total blessing and we think it’s pretty cool.

On your current tour you’re hitting some cities that you’ve never played before. For those who have not yet seen you perform, how would you say the live performance compares to your recorded music?

Oh, I think our live shows definitely bring it to life. They’re definitely higher energy. We have an awesome light show and I definitely think there’s a lot more energy when we do it live.

For more information, go to www.facebook.com/marymagdalan.