Jimmy Valiant Interview: Talks about the old school boom & WWE 24/7
On Wednesday, April 13, 2005 at 1:29 PM EST Brian Kelley of AudioWrestling.com sent in the following recap...
WWE Hall Of Famer “Boogie Woogie Man” Jimmy Valiant interview recap
The Boogie Woogie Man, “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant was a guest on the latest edition of Monday Night Mayhem which can be heard in streaming Real Audio on AudioWrestling.com right now! The next edition of MNM is recording this week with special guest The American Dream Dusty Rhodes! If you go to the "The Mayhem Board" on the AudioWrestling.com Forums you can submit questions for Dusty now!
Recap provided by MNM Producer Shawn Walters.
The Big Mosh and Angry Hero welcome Jimmy to the program, talking up the Valiant Brothers reunion event coming up on May 14th in Carteret, NJ. Jimmy is excited to meet up with this former tag partners, “Luscious” Johnny Valiant and “Gentleman” Jerry Valiant, amongst a cast of others. Mosh brings up the whole nostalgia boom and WWE 24/7, which Jimmy says is all about the “old school” and he as much of a fan as he is a competitor.
AH asks Jimmy what the secret is to the longevity of his career. Jimmy says he and his wife Angel are vegetarians, which is a distinct advantage; even Killer Kowalski is a vegetarian! He also pushes the concept of being unique, talking about his transition from being “Handsome” Jimmy to the Boogie Woogie Man. Jimmy has a book coming out later this year where he goes into detail on what’s behind his staying power.
AH brings up Jimmy’s brief gimmick of Charlie Brown, donning a mask after dropping a Loser-Leaves-Town match. Jimmy is amazed that people still vividly remember the angle, despite it going on a short while.
Mosh inquires about Jimmy’s thoughts on the big Starrcade events from the 1980’s heyday of the NWA. Jimmy has many fond memories of those shows and invites the public to visit his pro wrestling museum on his grounds in Shawsville, VA. He emphasizes that its open to the public every Sunday 12pm to 4pm, rain or shine and even on holidays!
Jimmy remembers his long-running feud with “Number One” Paul Jones and his Army. It was a “hot deal” and lots of money was made with his Mask vs. Hair matches against the Assassin.
On the topic of the lost art of tag team wrestling, Jimmy thinks it should come back to the forefront of the wrestling scene. He recalls wrestling the Carolinas, which was a big tag territory, as well as him and Johnny taking on Bruno Sammartino and Jay Strongbow in a WWWF tag title match and how significant that was.
Mosh asks about the Great American Bash events of yesteryear, which Jimmy says were much more special back then because you didn’t have PPV events every month back then. Jimmy only really keeps up with the current wrestling scene through his student at the wrestling camp but still makes a point to teach both the old and new aspects of the sport in his school.
Jimmy had no trouble adapting the different territories, spending ample time all throughout the country. He remembers how difficult it was in the Valiant Brother phase of his career, trying to keep his identity secret so his daughter wasn’t ridiculed in school for her father being one of wrestling’s top bad guys.
The conversation wraps up with Jimmy giving his thoughts on being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and a final plug for the Valiant Brothers reunion. For more info, check out www.valiantbrothersreunion.com and of course www.jimmyvaliant.com.
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