The Big Mosh sent this recap in:
Courtesy: http://www.MondayNightMayhem.com
Former WWE/ECW/WCW superstar & former NWA World Tag Team Champion, Johnny Swinger, was one the special guests on this past week’s live edition of Monday Night Mayhem (02/16/09), hosted by The Big Mosh & Blade. 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).
Johnny’s return MNM appearance (his first in over five years) is now available for free in Windows Streaming Media, or via the official Monday Night Mayhem Podcast On ITunes:
Johnny Swinger Interview/MNM Streaming Audio:
http://www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/021609.wax
Johnny Swinger Interview/MNM Podcast On ITunes:
http://www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/feb09/021609.mp3
And if you loved Eric Nies’ stellar appearance earlier this month on The Mayhem, then you are indeed in for a treat! One of the stars of VH-1’s hit reality program, “Confessions Of A Teen Idol,” Jeremy Jackson joined The Big Mosh & Blade to discuss the success of his latest “Confessions” project, his future Hollywood endeavors, in addition to his memories of being a part of the mega-hit TV show “Baywatch.” Log onto Jeremy’s official MySpace page @ www..MySpace.com/JeremyJackson, and head on over to Jeremy’s blog/profile on VH-1’s Famous Friends, where you can interact with “Mr. MySpace” himself! Check out the season finale of “Confessions Of A Teen Idol” this Sunday night (February 22nd) at 8PM ET/7PM CT on VH-1.
?Your Home Of Wrestling Radio? is officially presented by ReelWrestling.com: the latest & hottest innovation from the coverage of professional wrestling online, and features exclusive video found nowhere else from your favorite superstars of the squared circle (featuring an amazing set of several spectacular videos: RAW superstar, Chris Jericho walking with security & police officers right by fans at Madison Square Garden, former WWE Champion, Jeff Hardy & former ECW Champion, Matt Hardy, exclusively interviewed mere hours Jeff’s Armageddon title victory, ?The Animal? Batista & Kelly Kelly checking out a Broadway show together in New York City, Legacy members Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes alongside “The Glamazon” Beth Phoenix, as well as R-Truth giving his candid thoughts on being a part of the Academy-Award nominated Mickey Rourke film, “The Wrestler”).
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Here are some of the highlights of Johnny’s interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem’s correspondent, Dan Kriegbaum:
The Mayhem Crew welcomed Johnny Swinger back to the show, and Johnny thanked them right away for having him on the air, stating that he has not fallen off the earth, but has “just been a little delayed.” Being a native of the Buffalo area, Mosh asked Johnny for his thoughts on how well the Western New York community has come together after the tragic Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crash earlier this month. Although Swinger is now in Georgia, he said that the community is like a “tight knit family,” so the crash hit close to home for everybody. He mentioned how he has been gone from the area for several years, but both he & his wife miss the area. He also added that members of his wife’s family live about a block away from the crash site, and sends his thoughts & prayers out to the families of those lost.
Many fans remember Johnny’s run in World Wrestling Entertainment in 2005 as Johnny Parisi. His time in the WWE seemed to consist of a lot of Sunday Night Heat matches before he was released. Blade & Mosh asked Swinger if there was any credible reason given for his release. Johnny mentioned a quote from an interview that Triple H did at a Mr. Olympia event, where he claimed that he had “no idea who Johnny Parisi was.” Johnny went on to say that he thinks the reason he “didn’t get over” was because he was not given the opportunity to….simply put. He added that he spent time in DSW (Deep South Wrestling), but was lost because the developmental territories are more for guys that do not have a lot of experience, so in the end he was rushed up to TV without anything planned, “which didn’t work out for (him).” Blade added that it sounded like Johnny “got Braden Walkered,” to which Swinger said, “Actually, I think he did better than I did…and made more money.”
Mosh asked Johnny to give the fans a brief rundown of his career — starting with World Championship Wrestling to finally making it to the WWE. Johnny said that after working nearly 12 years & being in every other major promotion available, he fulfilled a dream by “making it to The Promised Land..” While living in Atlanta, he said he wanted to be in the ring & working, so he was put in Deep South Wrestling for a few months before being called up to the main roster, being told “the writers know who (he is), so they will have something available.” He went on to say how he was called up to work somewhat of a “tryout match” on Heat against independent wrestler, “Fabulous” John McChesney, “who is a good guy & a good talent,” but did not really know where things were going after that. After that, he wrestled Matt Striker for a couple weeks, before being used as a “guy to put other guys over,” still not having anything else creatively set in stone. He said a couple weeks later, a writer told him that Vince McMahon did not know where they were going with the “Johnny Parisi” character, which he did not know either, and said it was just a “lost in the shuffle” type of deal.
Running off of the Triple H quote from earlier in the interview, The Mayhem asked Johnny if “he’s really that bad,” as much of the wrestling internet community claims with much regularity. Johnny said that Hunter was actually always very nice to him, and that he actually wrestled him in one of his first WWE matches in 1995. “Obviously he didn’t remember me after I came back,” he added, and then told a story about how Triple H was very cool to him after a match against Val Venis where Johnny had his nose broken. Johnny said that Triple H made a joke about his own nose, saying “If it makes you feel any better I had my nose broken a few years ago, and it’s been growing ever since”. He added that he does not believe he personally was high enough on the radar to be “held back” by Triple H, which is why the quote that Triple H said he does not know of him kind of intrigued him.
Mosh asked Johnny about his thoughts working in the original ECW, as we have been seeing “Version 2.0” over the past few years on the Sci-Fi Channel. Johnny said that working in Extreme Championship Wrestling was awesome, and it was the first place he got to get himself over, “and you know what, (he) did.” He added that he did not make any money there, but it is not all about money, but said it was still a great time & had a lot of great matches teaming with Simon Diamond. He said that his favorite match was a Triple-Threat Match in the finals of an ECW Tag Team Tournament that had him & Simon Diamond against the teams of Tajiri & Mikey Whipreck, as well as Tommy Dreamer & Jerry Lynn, in which the crowd reactions were unbelievable. He mentioned how he watched the match a couple months ago, and called Simon afterwards to tell him to watch it again too, as “its not like it used to be anymore.”
Old-school fans of TNA Wrestling remember Johnny’s “reunion” with Simon Diamond in the early “Asylum” days of the company. Swinger said experience was “once again good timing.” He talked about how The Honky Tonk Man once told him that if someone is talented enough & sticks around for awhile, they will eventually have their chance — to which he got those opportunities in ECW & then a few years later in TNA. He said that he & Simon had a good run there, and it was fast-paced at times, with moving on to different angles & areas, so once their run was done, he was released which was around the same time he started talking with World Wrestling Entertainment.
As a parting message to his fans, Swinger said that he appreciates any & all of the support that he gets, going back to the “hardcore, ‘stick with it’ kinda’ fans” from WCW, who are the same fans that keep the business alive — which is appreciated by him & “the rest of the boys.” He urged all fans to keep watching TNA & the WWE, and to keep supporting the business like they have been. He also said he would like to give a final plug to the new Jeff Jarrett DVD (coming out from TNA), and reminds fans that it’s spelled “J-E-double F/J-A-double R-E-double T.”
More is contained in this half-hour+ Swinger interview including: even more details on the Johnny Parisi character (including how he almost ended up teaming up with Festus & Roadkill), more on OVW/DSW, thoughts on his close friends Edge (capturing the World Heavyweight Championship at No Way Out) & Christian (returning to the WWE & leaving TNA), in addition to his thoughts on the current status of TNA (and the likelihood of him returning there), as well as if we could have seen the last of the “Johnny Swinger” character & if something new could be on the horizon. The only way to find out what lies ahead for one of ECW’s Originals is by tuning into The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network!
This month, “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” proudly celebrates a historic milestone! Join The Mayhem Crew (The Big Mosh & Blade) for the Monday Night Mayhem Seven-Year Anniversary Special — now available for download! Enjoy the best & most-diverse lineup of the entire year, which featured a look back at some of the best moments & memories in The Mayhem’s seven years on the air, some surprise call-in’s from the best guests in MNM history (including Eric Bischoff, Jason Hervey, Konnan, Chavo “Classic” Guerrero Sr. Matt Morgan, & former WWE Head Of Security, Jimmy Noonan), the first post-WWE comments of Elijah Burke, plus so much more!
Monday Night Mayhem’s Seven-Year Anniversary Special/MNM Streaming Audio: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/020909.wax
Monday Night Mayhem’s Seven-Year Anniversary Special/MNM Podcast On ITunes: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/feb09/020909.mp3
Elijah Burke (in his first post-WWE interview): www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/feb09/ElijahBurke.mp3
Eric Bischoff: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/feb09/EricBischoff.mp3
Konnan: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/feb09/Konnan.mp3
Chavo “Classic” Guerrero, Sr.: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/feb09/ChavoGuerrero.mp3
Matt Morgan: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/feb09/MattMorgan.mp3
Jimmy Noonan: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/feb09/BischoffNoonanHervey.mp3
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, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, “Superstar” Billy Graham, “The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart, The Iron Sheik, Tito Santana, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Harley Race, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, & Don Muraco), the first-post WWE comments from Elijah Burke, Wildcat” Chris Harris, Nick “U-Gene” Dinsmore, & The Highlanders, 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, 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, & Johnny Swinger), 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, Terry Funk, Dory Funk, Jr., Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, “The Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan, “The Living Legend” Larry Zbyszko, Sid Vicious, Tully Blanchard, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, “Bushwacker” Luke Williams, The Honky Tonk Man, Barry “Smash” Darsow, Virgil, Diamond Dallas Page, Vader, “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, 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 (“Celebrity Apprentice”), Jim Kelly (NFL Hall Of Famer), Frank Trigg, Dave Coulier (“Full House”), Jason Hervey, Eric Nies, & Jeremy Jackson (“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), Erin “Steel” Toughill (“American Gladiators”), & Dan “Nitro” Clark (“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…