If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
** The Dark Order’s John Silver continued to pay tribute to Jon Huber (Brodie Lee). Silver reflected on his memories with Huber in AEW during an interview with Sports Illustrated. He talked about how Huber publicly lobbied for Silver and Alex Reynolds to be signed full-time after their match against Cody Rhodes and Matt Cardona on Dynamite.
“A lot of people don’t know this, but after that match, Brodie was the one backstage telling everyone that the match was great and that we needed full-time deals, which we ended up signing. That’s just one example. There were so many other little ways he constantly went out of his way to help us. Brodie was an amazing person. I can’t picture him not being here.”
Silver stated that AEW President Tony Khan had the idea for Huber and Silver to be a modern-day version of Raven and Stevie Richards.
“Someone tagged me in that video [Huber’s last appearance on Being The Elite] on Twitter, and watching it has just made me cry. Tony Khan had this idea for us to be like Raven and Stevie Richards. So we had those moments where I’d say he was great and then he’d hit me, or he’d ask me to hold up his belt and then he’d knock me off the apron. Thinking about it just makes me so emotional. I never want there to be another ‘Exalted One.’”
** The Women’s Wrestling Talk podcast welcomed Ariane Andrew onto the show. Ariane competed for All Elite Wrestling over the summer in the company’s Tag Team Cup tournament. Ariane almost turned down the opportunity due to concerns stemming from her being out of the ring for several years.
“You know what? It was actually really refreshing because I just like to keep it super real and for me, I almost wanted to say no to the opportunity just because I was so nervous. I was like, ‘I haven’t been in the ring.’ At one point, I was training earlier in the year before COVID happened for EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch to have the match with my boo Jamie Sengal and because I hadn’t been in and I’m like, ‘Oh my, this is a lot of pressure. This is so last minute.’ I almost said no because I’m like, ‘How the f*ck am I even gonna look? Am I gonna look like sh*t?’ Because I already only have a little bit of wrestling experience then on top of that, what is the backstage gonna be like. But I was like, ‘You know what? Don’t do it for fans, don’t do it for family, don’t do it for management. Like, who are you doing this for?’ And I was like, ‘You know what? I’m doing it for myself because I wanna prove that when you can face a fear, it’s like the most rewarding thing’ so, everybody there is so f*cking friendly. It’s a different environment. People wanna actually see you win there. It’s such a family. Once I was able to go backstage, I was like, ‘Damn, this is what life is about?’ Like I love it because it’s something very different than I’m used to. I’m not used to, you know, people wanting you to do well. Everyone’s like, ‘I’m trying to get to the top’ and no one’s ever trying to help anybody else out which I never f*cking understand but, the experience was great. Now there was some things I wish I could redo, yeah, because we didn’t have time to go over stuff but it’s like, nothing’s ever gonna be perfect. As long as I can say I did my best given the circumstances.”
The conversation turned over to the topic of WWE and Ariane talked about the company’s predictability at times. Specifically speaking about the women’s division, Ariane feels that WWE should take a chance and put the women’s title on talents like Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan.
“Remember when Zack Ryder — that came out of nowhere when he got the title and it was like, ‘Yes!’ We did not predict that because everything is so predictable. You know, if Sasha [Banks] is gonna have a match with Liv [Morgan], Sasha’s winning, you know what I mean? It’s like you can predict it based on the hierarchy and I feel like sometimes they always — this is the thing too with wrestling fans and wrestling fans do have a lot to do with what the writers — they look at that stuff. Everyone loves an underdog until the underdog’s no longer an underdog and it’s like, ‘F*ck you.’ They feel like they can’t relate so it’s like when someone’s getting sh*tted on, they’re like, ‘Oh…’ then when someone gets an opportunity, they’re like, ‘Oh, we’re so tired of seeing this same person over and over.’ It’s like what do you want!? It’s like a catch 22. But I do think sometimes they are a little too repetitive when someone’s at the top too. Okay, now it’s time to pass the torch to this person that we haven’t seen before. Not the passing the torch to the same circle, like let somebody else like come up. For instance, I think Liv, I think she’s cute, she has potential, I think she’s a good wrestler and stuff. She could have the title. It’s different, it’s new and she would be able to hold her own I feel like. Giving it to some people who you would just like — sh*t, give it to Bianca [Belair]. She’s athletic, she’s great. It’d be great too to see a little bit more diversity but…”
** WWE put together a compilation of Jon Huber (Luke Harper) highlights and tributes up on Instagram.
** Teddy Long guest appeared on The Wrestling Inc. Daily podcast and said he believes he’ll be a part of RAW Legends Night on the 1/4 episode of Monday Night RAW.
“Well that’s a rumor I got too so, basically I think I will be there, don’t know what I’m doing but don’t mind. If I ain’t doing nothing, [it] don’t bother me. Just to be a part of it is enough.”
** Chris Van Vliet chatted with Booker T for an interview. During their conversation, Booker told a story from several years ago when he was backstage at a WWE event in the locker room and someone who was not supposed to be in the “TV locker room” got themselves into trouble and ultimately let go from the company for being in the area.
“I got invited into the TV locker room. I didn’t just go and dress in the TV locker room. I remember a guy, not too long ago, a couple years back and I’m not gonna say his name. But he lasted in WWE about a year or so. You’ll be able to figure it out, and he was in the TV locker room and I’m wondering in my mind, ‘What the hell is he doing in the TV locker room?’ He’s hanging out in there with us, he’s kicking it and whatnot and I told him — he was talking to me about the guys in the other locker room and I was like, ‘Man, forget those guys man. Dress over here man. I mean, who are those guys to tell you where to dress?’ And all I was doing was stirring the pot. He didn’t know I was getting him in more trouble and then they ended up firing his ass and you know what? He didn’t know why he got fired. He didn’t even know. He didn’t even know he was getting heat. Just by being in the TV locker room and nobody invited him into the TV locker room.”
Booker T also shared his thoughts about Sting’s arrival in AEW. As far as the idea of Sting wrestling again goes, Booker thinks it’s an unwise move if that’s what Sting chooses to do.
“But Sting, he’s a guy, you know, he was doing it well before I was doing it. It’s something that he’s done his whole life. It’s something that’s in his blood. There again, not getting a chance to finish it properly in WWE. I remember when I went to WWE in 2001 and I don’t know, you can go back and research it but Sting did an interview. He said the reason he never went to WWE was because of the way they treated Booker T when he first got there. He says I was disrespected by The Rock when I first got there and he thought I should’ve been treated better and what he was talking about was when me and Rock, we did our angle and Rock goes, ‘Who are you?’ And I go, ‘My name is –’ he goes, ‘It doesn’t matter what your name is!’ And I go — I always looked at this as wrestling. I’ve never looked at it like it was a serious thing and I think if Sting came there and he did an angle with The Rock, Rock would’ve perhaps did the exact same thing with him but it’s wrestling and for him to have missed out on 15 years maybe, of time because of that angle that I did with The Rock, I thought that was very — what word should I use because I don’t wanna disparage him or anything like that but I just thought that was a very unwise thing to do. Let’s just say that and miss out on all of that time of living out that Sting dream in the WWE but I think it was a lot of guys were scared to come to the WWE and a lot of guys did not want to have to put in the work and really establish themselves all over again. But me, I was like, ‘Let me go up here and see how good I really am.’ I wanted to challenge myself with the best workers in the world but for Sting to do it now at 61, I just think it’s — it’s a very unwise move to go out there and try to work with these young guys.”
** Guadalupe Lizarraga, mother to Damian 666 and wife of Bestia 666, passed away. Major League Wrestling sent their condolences to the family.
** In adherence with COVID-19 protocols, GCW World Champion Rickey Shane Page is off GCW’s ’56 Nights’ and ‘Good Riddance’ shows this week.
** New Japan Pro-Wrestling secured the rights to El Phantasmo’s ‘HDBNG CLUB VIP’ theme and Phantasmo will be debuting his new theme on night one of Wrestle Kingdom 15. He is scheduled to take on Hiromu Takahashi and the winner moves on to night two of Wrestle Kingdom to challenge Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title.
** The latest installment of the X-Pac 12360 podcast was a Q&A show. Sean Waltman spoke about his time in WCW and shared that the ‘Bronco Buster’ was banned from being used on WCW programming.
“And so when I was first trying to get it over — and they banned the move. They banned that sh*t on WCW. Lewd and lascivious. What do you call it? Standards and practice had said.
I mean well by that point, by the time I got back there [WWF], there was a lot worse sh*t than that-that Vince [McMahon] was getting away with on TV.”
Waltman also discussed his working relationship with Vince McMahon. He said for quite some time, he felt intimidated by McMahon and still feels the power dynamic between them when they run into each other.
“It definitely took for me to leave and make my own way somewhere else to get Vince [McMahon] to look at me in the light that I so desperately wanted, and I really did and the thing is — I had a good relationship with Vince. He was always open, willing to talk to me, but I was really intimidated, at one point for quite a long time, you know? You would have it all worked out in your head like, ‘Okay, this is what I’m gonna do when I get in there’ and once you get in there, all that sh*t’s out the f*cking window, and I even told him one time, I’m like, ‘I come in here and once I get in here, there’s this power dynamic thing.’ So part of it [getting over that dynamic] was me telling him that, and part of it was just practice. You go in there, it’s reps and if he was gonna give me the time, I was gonna go in there and lobby for this and that. Sometimes I still get like that with Vince.”
** Naoya Ogawa is considering a return to wrestling following his appearance for All Japan Pro Wrestling in December. Ogawa is 52-years old and last wrestled in 2015.
** GVWire ran an article about the passing of Jon Huber. The outlet is based out of Fresno, California and they listed off matches that Huber had in the area.
** Ric Flair was a guest on Kevin Hart’s ‘Cold As Balls’ show.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaKHhUPauJY[/embedyt]
** WWE applied to trademark the following names on 12/24: Nash Carter, Shi Gun, Wes Lee, Tian Sha and Shi Zui.
** Booker T and Brad Gilmore discussed the respective passing’s of Jon Huber, Kevin Greene and Danny Hodge.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghB5Q1GhzYk[/embedyt]
** Former WWE talent Mike Knox chatted with Sportskeeda and talked about his experiences working with CM Punk on WWE’s version of ECW. Knox stated that initially, he didn’t get the hype behind Punk’s in-ring skills but after working with him, that perception changed.
“I remember the first time that we wrestled. I missed like two or three planes, and it was just one of those nightmare days. I thought I was never going to get there. I was changing in the car as they were driving me to the arena because the music was on and he was already out in the ring, and I had to jump out of the car and run. Yeah, we ran to the ring and did everything out there. You know what I mean? The lost art (calling it in the ring). Everything single thing, including the finish. Before, when I was in Deep South, I was kind of like, I saw him on tape, and I was just like, I don’t get it. What’s the big deal, man. I don’t think he’s that good. I don’t understand why everybody’s talking about him. Then I went out there, and we did our first match, and I was a fan of his ever since. Ah, Oh, that’s what it is! Okay, duh, alright!”
** Former ROH World Champion PCO turned 53 on 12/30.
** A documentary about Diamond Dallas Page titled ‘Relentless’ is available for purchase on Amazon and Amazon Prime.
** D-Von Dudley’s Table Talk podcast is returning on January 6th.
** Ric Flair was the focus of an international media call to promote RAW Legends night on 1/4.
** NJPW1972.com published Gabriel Kidd’s latest blog.
** Shingo Takagi spoke to NJPW1972.com to promote Wrestle Kingdom 15.
If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
