Jack E. Jones sent this recap in.
Recap of Tony Mamaluke on In Your Head Wrestling Radio, 08/08/2012
by Vic Schiavone
Hosts Jack E. Jones and One Inch Biceps welcomed surprise guest Tony Mamaluke of Extreme Rising to IYH Wrestling Radio. Highlights of this interview included the following:
What were/are his thoughts on Extreme Reunion/Extreme Rising?
“I think people got the misunderstanding of what Extreme Reunion really was about and what Extreme Rising is about. Extreme Reunion was about trying to remember some great moments. Extreme Rising is about creating some new ones. I think a lot of people might from the outskirts of it looking at it subjectively might think it’s about a bunch of old has-beens or never-weres that are trying to get a payday, but for me personally I can tell you it’s because for one, I’m not one of the older guys in the group; I still have some years left under me and I’m just trying to be a part of capturing that magic that made what ECW was great and then making something new out of that inspiration. That’s really what Extreme Rising is. It’s not like the Eagles coming back around for the umpteenth reunion tour just so that they can get a payday and charge too much for a ticket. It’s not about that type of thing. It’s about trying to recapture what was brilliant about ECW, which was the organic nature of things; which was capturing the energy from the crowd and then manifesting that into entertaining matches.”
What do you think about scripting all the promos in wrestling?
“I hate it, and it sucks. Because now you’re not letting people be themselves or creating the character; you’re trying to fit the character into a mold and most people in wrestling don’t have the skill set to be professional actors. That’s why when wrestlers by and large go and do real movies they’re not entertaining because they really don’t have that skill. They’re doing their glorified version of their personality as opposed to somebody else’s personality. When you write everything down, it comes across as lame, fake, and contrived, and that’s why wrestling sucks. What made wrestling great was the thin line that was blurred between is this real or is it not, and as long as you have that line then people will keep coming back to your show…Can you just imagine what it would have been like for some sniveling kid who just graduated from writing school to walk up to Ric Flair and tell him how to be the world champion? Are you serious? You’re talking about maybe the greatest promo guy in the history of the business that twenty years from now will still be glorified as being great. And you’re going to tell me that some kid who’s (a) not a wrestling fan and (b) is not even thirty is going to tell some guy who’s been in the business for fifteen years already how to do the business is an insult to the guys who are doing the wrestling.”
What was his opinion of Vince Russo’s time in World Championship Wrestling?
“It was an abject failure. There’s no other way to describe it. He is the worst person that ever walked in wrestling; he’s the worst guy that has ever been in the business…He was able to kill one of the most prominent companies in the history of the business. I mean, even in their worst-case scenario if they would have just slowed down the nonsense they’d still be around today. Honestly, somebody would have bought that company and had it going forever…What he did, and why he sucks the most, is he took everything in wrestling, all the rules, and he systematically broke them all, one by one by one, and did it in front of your face and laughed at you while he did it. He spit on the entire business for fifty years before it. He insulted everybody that ever cared about the business and everybody who ever was in the business. And if I ever see him personally I’m going to punch him square in the chest so hard that he can’t breathe…When he went to WCW, there was no one there to curtain his insanity and stupidity, so he just took every idea he could think of, no matter how absurd, and was able to put it on TV because everyone had drank the kool aid on this fly-by-night clown who has systematically set the business back, I would say, maybe four decades because of his terrible, terrible exhibitions. He is the worst writer, promoter, booker of all time, and there is no one even close. I would venture to guess that in a hundred years from now, when you’re talking on the wrestling almanac, and you’ve got a picture of the worst booker of all time, if it is anyone other than Vince Russo I would be shocked into cardiac arrest and die on the spot.”
Tony also discussed other topics, such as:
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Who will his role be at the next Extreme Rising show on November 17?
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What wrestler trained him?
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What did he think of Shane Douglas’ decision to stay out of the ring?
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What regrets does he have regarding his time in Ring of Honor?
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What interesting job did he take after leaving WCW?
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Who was the worst traveling partner he ever had in his life?
The interview with Tony closed with another mention of Extreme Rising’s next show in Philadelphia on November 17 (for information go to
http://www.ExtremeReunion.net).
This interview is available for listening at
http://www.iyhwrestling.com/viewnews.php?autoid=4664