James Guttman sent this in recap in:
GILLBERG REVEALS THE TWO TOP WWE STARS WHO BROUGHT “GILLBERG” TO WWF, HIS ORIGINAL PARODY GIMMICKS, WHY WE NEVER SAW A GILLBERG-GOLDBERG MATCH, AND MORE
By: http://www.WorldWrestlingInsanity.com
It seems like everyone is investing in Gold these days. But at ClubWWI.com, we’re investing in Gill – Duane Gill! Now the man known as Gillberg comes to the Club for a 41 minute shoot about his entire unique and unforgettable career with James Guttman filled with stories that every fan will want to hear!
Proudly unveiling the “Gillberg Wrestling Academy” in Maryland (info at facebook.com/gillbergsacademy), Duane is a trainer with over two decades of experience in the business from all angles. From his humble days as a WWF TV Squashee to his hilarious run as the Goldberg-mocking Gillberg, Gill has done it all. Among the topics he dicussses are: The Lunch Room Chant That Started It All, Vince McMahon’s Unnerving Pre-Debut Gillberg Speech, What Triple H Said To Calm His Nerves, The Original Opponent He Was Set To Face In His Debut, The Heartbreak of Losing His Big WrestleMania Moment, The Politics That Played a Role, The 8×10 Photo That Enraged Goldberg, Subtle Nuances of Wrestling Basics Some Fans Might Not Notice, His Early Days Working Squash Matches in WWF, His Friendship With Barry Hardy, Ric Flair Tipping Him After a Good Match, Jake Roberts, Luna Vachon, King Kong Bundy, and More. For a full list of topics, head to: http://www.worldwrestlinginsanity.com/am2/publish/newsnotes/ClubWWI_Gillberg.shtml
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As the ClubWWI interview begins, Duane Gill tells everyone about the newest venture in his career and he couldn’t be more excited.
“I’ve opened the new Gillberg Pro Wrestling Academy. I opened it back in July on July 10th down in Severn, Maryland and, man, it is going great. So if you hear some rumbling in the background, that’s just some students practicing.”
James Guttman and Duane Gill discuss the things he focuses on at his newly opened (and huge) Gillberg Wrestling Academy. Aside from the basics, Duane focuses on business sense and marketing. An important part of the wrestling business is creating a character that will connect to the people. With Duane, Gillberg wasn’t a WWF creation. It was his own. In fact, he had been playing it prior to debuting it with the company and it was a ghastly father/son combination from today’s Smackdown that made it happen. He tells ClubWWI.com members all about it. Ohhhhh yessss….
“That was the whole funny part about it because Gillberg was supposed to be a onetime thing. I had come up with Gillberg on the independents. I was out just making fun of wrestlers. I did “Stone Old”. “The UnderFaker”. I wore a wig and everything, you know. Then I had done Gillberg. I was telling Paul Bearer and Kane in the hallway one night and they’re laughing. I said, “Yeah. I did Gillberg.” And Paul Bearer goes, “Gillberg? Huh? You know, you look just like…Ohhhhhh, Duane Gill. I think you’ve come up with something.” I’m like, “What are you talking about, Paul?” And he’s like, “Nothing, nothing, nothing.” So then the rest of the night, every time I walked by them, Kane and Paul Bearer would go, “Gill-berg! Gill-berg!”
Gill explains how Paul and Kane orchestrated a lunch room chant the next day that began the ball rolling for the debut of Gillberg in WWF. But while all this was going on, the target of Gill’s humor was over in WCW…steaming about it. James asks if he had heard anything initially, before their eventual meeting, about how Bill Goldberg was taking the joke and, as he tells ClubWWI.com member, Bill…well, didn’t take the joke well at all.
“He hates my guts. He hates my guts to this day. He did not take a joke. He hated it. He wants to whoop my ass seriously. I honestly believe that’s why Vince (McMahon) never had the match Gillberg-Goldberg because of the fact that he would have probably ended my career and life. I’m a little guy, man.”
The issue lead to many tense moments when Goldberg came to the company and even before. In fact, Gill tells a heartbreaking story about a WrestleMania moment that almost was. Politics plays a heavy role and fear that Bill might be upset lead to his character being cut from the show. Duane tells the story and names it as one of his big regrets. However, he has one other regret and he calls not only on ClubWWI to help, but also the Internet as a whole…
“I was almost on WrestleMania, bro. That gets me. You tell me I can’t be on WrestleMania when I almost made it. You know what else that gets me? I don’t have a doll. I was the number one wanted figure for a year in Jakks Toys. Number one wanted figure for a year and they never made one. “
This surprised James who points out all the legends figures that are being made including the Shockmaster. No Gillberg doll? Really?
“Yeah. They’re making all the classic figures. To you guys out there on the Internet, please write to WWE and let them know…Please. Tell them you want a Gillberg doll. Tell me that wouldn’t be a good set. Duane Gill in the JOB Squad and then Gillberg with the title and everything. The longest reigning Lightheavyweight Champion in history of WWF. There will never be anyone to beat it because it’s WWE now.”
The interview doesn’t end there as Duane discusses his entire stories career. Remember, Duane “Gillberg” Gill is just one of over 250 of wrestling’s biggest names ranging from Jesse Ventura to Paul London to Jerry Lawler, that can be heard the minute you log in to ClubWWI.com!