The Big Mosh sent this review in:
Courtesy: http://www.MondayNightMayhem.com
One of the inductees into this year’s WWE Hall Of Fame (Class Of 2009) & former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Dory Funk, Jr., was one the special guests on this past week’s live edition (02/23/09) of Monday Night Mayhem, hosted by The Big Mosh, Blade, & Chaz. You can feel The Mayhem live & in streaming audio every Monday night (at 8PM ET/7PM CT), exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.ITunes.com, www.AudioWrestling.com, & www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem).
Dory’s return MNM appearance (his first in over two years) is now available for free in Windows Streaming Media, or via the official Monday Night Mayhem Podcast On ITunes:
Dory Funk, Jr. Interview/MNM Streaming Audio:
http://www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/022309.wax
Dory Funk, Jr. Interview/MNM Podcast On ITunes:
http://www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/feb09/022309.mp3
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Here are some of the highlights of Dory’s exclusive interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem’s co-host, John “The Big Mosh” Masiulionis:
Dory was welcomed back to The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network, a place where he is very familiar with to say the least. As many long-time fans of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” know & remember, Dory was The Mayhem’s official National TNA Show Correspondent back in 2006, so The Big Mosh & Blade extended their congratulations to Dory on his well-deserved (and long overdue) news of being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame’s Class Of 2009. Dory wished to use The Mayhem’s airwaves to publicly thank World Wrestling Entertainment, the McMahon family (Vince, Linda, Stephanie, & Shane), as well as John Laurinaitis — “This is a tremendous honor, and I am very, very grateful to both the McMahon family, the company (World Wrestling Entertainment), & all of those the people who work for that great organization.” Dory mentioned that he was approached with the exciting news before the official announcement was made, and he tried to do the best he could do keep it a secret that was “very hard to keep”), in an attempt to keep the surprise affect alive for the fans.
Mosh brought up the fact that Dory is not going into the WWE Hall Of Fame alone…but has the once in a lifetime opportunity to be forever enshrined with his brother, former NWA/ECW World Heavyweight Champion, Terry Funk. Dory told the listening audience that he is indeed “thrilled” to have the chance to go into the HOF with his brother, in addition to being one-half of the only brother combo in wrestling history to be NWA World Heavyweight Champions. Dory also told Mosh & Blade that as the days approach towards his official induction at The Toyota Center, that he remembers one evening very fondly: the night he captured the NWA World Title (from Gene Kiniski), with his father (Dory Funk, Sr.) at his side. His father told him that evening that “Son…if you never accomplish anything else in professional wrestling, you’ve accomplished a hell of a lot right now.” Fast-forward forty years later, he wants to look up at the sky and tell his father & his late mother (Dorothy): “Hey Dad…Look at where we are now: Terry & myself both together in the WWE Hall Of Fame.”
Dory added that he is very grateful to be inducted by one of his very good friends & colleagues in the business: former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. “He is a great figure in professional wrestling & has been for many years.”
World Wrestling Entertainment over the years has received some criticism from critics & the internet over their Hall Of Fame, in lieu of certain wrestlers & legends (such as Bruno Sammartino) not being inducted to this point in time. Dory told The Mayhem Crew & The Mayhem Nation that he feels, despite the criticism, “the WWE has done it just right…They are such a great company….Their production is so great…There is nothing that I could say that would be differential to how they have handled the Hall Of Fame & the professional wrestling business…They have done a terrific job.”
Dory has trained many of today’s top superstars in the WWE, including the returning “Captain Charisma” himself: Christian. Dory said that he is very proud of Christian returning to World Wrestling Entertainment, and classifies Christian as “one of the best” he has had the opportunity to train in his time with the WWE & through The Funkin’ Conservatory. He strongly feels that he will do great in his second sting with World Wrestling Entertainment on the ECW roster.
“The Road To WrestleMania XXV” is indeed heating up now, and it appears one of the matches that over 70,000 fans will have the chance to witness will be a “brother vs. brother” battle: Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy. Dory also had the chance to train both former World Champions, and describes their pending match at WM as “awesome.” He would hope that both would put on a great wrestling match, though it would be very difficult to choose a winner in the end. Blade asked Dory for his thoughts on Jeff finally reaching the pinnacle of his career & winning the WWE Championship. Dory said that when Jeff was younger, he went into the business “hell-bent for leather & with reckless abandon, and he is was going to go somewhere or die trying.” He couldn’t be any happier for Jeff or Matt, as they would do anything asked of them. “They have put their heart & soul into professional wrestling, and that’s what it takes to make it in the wrestling business.”
The rumor mill has been going into overload over the past several weeks leading into “The Showcase Of The Immortals,” WrestleMania XXV…and one of those rumors that has been debated by fans across the world is if “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan will be a part of the WrestleMania festivities & possibly step into the squared circle against either John Cena or Chris Jericho. Dory chimed in with his takes on this subject, stating that he describes the business today (just as it was in yesteryear) still as giving & not taking. He sees the important thing (in this particular example) being both parties would have to be able to work together (the WWE & Hogan) & get the most traction from one another successfully, for the best end result that the audience will enjoy. “Whichever direction the WWE takes, I know they will do a fabulous job.”
In closing, Mosh & Blade asked Dory what it is going to be like for him to stand before thousands of fans in Houston, TX in-person & millions more on the USA Network and personally thank everyone who helped him throughout his legendary career one final time on a grand scale. “It’s going to be the thrill of a lifetime…I haven’t stopped thinking about what I am going to say. It is a fabulous opportunity & the highlight of my career….I have nothing but respect for the wrestling business & the WWE…and I am very much looking forward to it.”
Log onto the official website of WrestleMania XXV, located at www.WrestleMania25.com, as well as WWE.com for all of the details on how you can be a part of the WM festivities & the 2009 WWE Hall Of Fame Ceremonies (presented by THQ’s “Legends Of WrestleMania” video game). In addition, we strongly encourage all members of The Mayhem Nation to check out the official website of The Funkin’ Conservatory, located at www.Dory-Funk.com.
More is contained in this exclusive 45+ minute Mayhem interview with Dory Funk, Jr., including his response to his brother’s (Terry) recent interview with Amarillo.com saying “he does not deserve the honor” of going into the WWE Hall Of Fame, if he sees “Stone Cold” Steve Austin having one final match at WrestleMania XXV, which top WWE superstar was the first recommendation of himself & Pat Patterson to the WWE (to come through The Funkin’ Dojo in Stamford, CT), the chances of Amy “Lita” Dumas returning to World Wrestling Entertainment after a several year hiatus, & Dory’s comments on the award-winning Mickey Rourke film, “The Wrestler.”
And as part of the close of our seven-year anniversary celebration, one of The Mayhem’s favorite guests of all-time returns! Former member of the hit TV series, “American Gladiators,” Dan Clark, joined The Mayhem Crew to discuss the release of his newest book, “Gladiator: A True Story Of ‘Roids, Rage, & Redemption.” Want to know the rise to prominence of “Nitro,” the trials & tribulations of his life (including his addiction to steroids), & the man behind the Gladiator? What are Dan’s thoughts about MLB superstar, Alex Rodriguez, coming out over the past few weeks admitting his use of steroids? Tune into The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network for the answers to these questions & many more! One of the most eye-opening books you fans will have the chance to read is just a few clicks away. Swing by your local bookstore, or order via Amazon.com. Log onto Dan’s official website, located at www.DanNitroClark.com & Dan’s official MySpace page, located at www.MySpace.com/DanLeeClark.
Be sure to mark your calendars for two respective dates fans, as “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” is proud to present our Monday Night Mayhem Hall Of Fame Ceremonies LIVE Monday evening, March 30th (beginning @ 8PM ET/7PM CT), in addition to kicking off WM Sunday the right way…with the Monday Night Mayhem WrestleMania XXV Countdown Special — LIVE Sunday morning, April 5th (beginning @ 11AM ET/10AM CT). Join The Mayhem’s National WWE Correspondent/PPV Preview trio of Scott Hudson, Jim Molineaux, & The History Of WWE.com’s Graham Cawthon, as well as “Wild” Bill Brown, & Old Time Wrestling’s Ed Atlas for all of the grandeur & the festivities, as “The Road To WrestleMania XXV” has officially begun on the Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network! More names to be added to our ‘Mania Kickoff, so stay tuned to www.MondayNightMayhem.com & www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem for all of the latest!
All new & old Mayhem listeners can still check out the archived programs/shows of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” from over seven years of audio excellence. You can re-live the live on-location remotes (including The Mayhem’s WrestleMania 23 Countdown Special from Detroit’s Hilton Garden Inn), plus some of your favorite WWE superstars (Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Christian, Charlie Haas, Beth Phoenix, & Candice Michelle), WWE Hall Of Famers (Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Jim Ross, Terry Funk, Harley Race, Dory Funk, Jr., Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, “Superstar” Billy Graham, The Iron Sheik, Tito Santana, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Don Muraco, “Cowboy” Bill Watts, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, & “The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart), the first-post WWE comments from Elijah Burke, Wildcat” Chris Harris, Johnny Swinger, The Highlanders, & Nick “U-Gene” Dinsmore, the finest from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA President Dixie Carter, Jeff Jarrett, Terry Taylor, Jim Cornette, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, “The War Machine” Rhino, Team 3-D, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, The Motor City Machine Guns’ Chris Sabin/Alex Shelley, “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal, The LAX’s Homicide, Beer Money’s “Tennessee Cowboy” James Storm/Robert Roode, Matt Morgan, Eric Young, Sheik-Abdul Bashir, Cute Kip, BG James, & Kaz — along with TNA Knockouts Christy Hemme, The Beautiful People’s Angelina Love/Velvet Sky, Traci Brooks, ODB, Christy Hemme, Taylor Wilde, & So-Cal Val), Ring Of Honor’s warriors (ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness, “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, Jerry Lynn, Austin Aries, Claudio Castagnoli, & Kenny King), ECW originals (ECW’s founder Tod Gordon, “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, Raven, The Sandman, Rob Van Dam, Francine, 2 Cold Scorpio, New Jack, Axl Rotten, Lance Storm, Mike “Nova” Bucci, “The Pitbull” Gary Wolfe, Danny Doring, Simon Diamond), some of the greatest managers in the history of our business (Percy Pringle III/Paul Bearer, “The Doctor Of Style” Slick, JJ Dillon, & the late Gary Hart), the voices that have called the sport/sports-entertainment for years (World Class’ Bill Mercer, the Mid-Atlantic/NWA’s Bob Caudle, & WCW/AWA’s Lee Marshall), the beautiful managers/valets that have graced the squared circle (Missy Hyatt, Terri Runnels, Lisa “Ivory” Moretti, Dawn Marie, Nora “Molly Holly” Greenwald, Jackie Haas), wrestling legends/personalities from over the years, past & present (Bruno Sammartino, Jerry Jarrett, “The Living Legend” Larry Zbyszko, “The Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, Tully Blanchard, Sid Vicious, The Honky Tonk Man, “Bushwacker” Luke Williams, Barry “Smash” Darsow, “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, Virgil, Diamond Dallas Page, Vader, Konnan, Bruno “Harvey Whippleman” Lauer, “The Wildman” Marc Mero, D-Lo Brown, Scotty 2 Hotty, David “Gangrel” Heath, Chris Kanyon, Chris Nowinski, Tomko, & Colin Delaney), & some of the most well-known athletes & entertainers from pro-sports, the MMA, stage, & screen, including: Dennis Rodman (NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice”), Jim Kelly (NFL Hall Of Famer), Frank Trigg (UFC), Dave Coulier (“Full House”), Jason Hervey, Eric Nies, & Jeremy Jackson (VH-1’s “Confessions Of A Teen Idol”), Dustin “Screech” Diamond (“Saved By The Bell”), the stars of Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling: Tiffany, Trishelle Cannatella, “The Mistress Of Mayhem” Erin Murphy, Frank Stallone, & Nikki Ziering, Aries Spears (“MAD TV”), Gary The Retard (“The Howard Stern Show”), Greg Fitzsimmons (stand-up comedian/VH-1’s “Best Week Ever”), Jason Peter (former NFL Defensive Tackle, former Nebraska All-American, & author of “Hero Of The Underground”), Dan “Nitro” Clark (“American Gladiators” & author of “Gladiator: A True Story Of ‘Roids, Rage, & Redemption”), & Erin “Steel” Toughill (NBC’s “American Gladiators”). All this & so much more…now available World Wide & 365 at www.MondayNightMayhem.com.
You can feel The Mayhem live & in streaming audio every Monday night (at 8PM ET/7PM CT), exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.ITunes.com, www.AudioWrestling.com, & www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem). Monday Night Mayhem — World Wide 365…