June 27, 2024 • 37 mins
Today's Eyes Up Here FLASHBACK features former WWE and ECW Superstar PJ Polaco better known to ECW fans as former ECW Heavyweight Champion, Justin Credible. This is episode 11 from the original run of Eyes Up Here and features a reunion of the EXTREME duo as they discuss some of their biggest moments in ECW as well as what could have been if the company didn't go out of business.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Changing gears a little bit. Our guests is actually email
the link. Sure something went wrong on his ends.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Wherever my stuff is right now presently.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Yeah, our guest huge history with you.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
You know.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
For me, it's just kind of funny because I remember
being a young whipper snapper and trying to penetrate the
wrestling world and this guy was the first person to
bring me and John to show, so a lot of
history for us as well. We just had him on
a couple of weeks ago to talk about a w
there debut. But I'm just I always love getting PJ
on because it's always it's just for me.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
It just takes me back.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
To being twenty two, twenty three and quietly sitting in
a car with him being like.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
I don't want to say anything, stupid hilario.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Right.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, very cool to have him coming out with us.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Yeah, I'm excited about this interview. This should be a
good one. Yeah. So this next guest is a person
I worked very closely with in the ECW. He's also
known for his time in WWF is Aldo Montoya, but
I think he shines more with us. Good friend of mine. Everybody,
(01:39):
please welcome PJ Bloco, AJB Justin Crapple.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
What's going on guys?
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Anybuddy, how are you.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
Tired running around like crazy? And finally.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
We got another clean shaven guy. What are you and Russel?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
You guys like patting together to shave at the same time.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
I have his show November ninth, right, So I had
to clean this up because sometimes, you know, I'm getting grays.
So you know, this way, it'll be grown in and
I'll be looking like a normal person soon.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Okay, well, I'm happy to see you.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Happy to see you.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yes, we just had Yeah, we were just talking to
Vin through so so do you want to you want
to just start with what you're doing with Vince now?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Yeah, we do an aw review show usually every Friday.
We start off at like ten am and it's all
through Patreon and you know, we do like ten minutes
first ten minutes free on Twitch. So it's been a
really cool experience. I really dig working with him. He's
really easy. I actually I met Vince back in ninety
(02:45):
four when he was actually writing for the old WWF magazine,
so we go back a long way, but I really
didn't get to know him creatively. We never work together.
So he's a super cool dude, and then I really
I really enjoy doing it nice.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah, yeah, we were just talking a little bit. I
worked with him one time in TNA and he was
my agent two thousand and two and that was the
only time I ever got to meet him. Yeah, he's
such a sweetheart.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
But it's a shamy, you know, he gets such a
bad rap.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, we were discussing that as well.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
You know, because just recently we talked about on the
show today a little bit. Because his fans, you know,
the people that subscribe to his patreon, I think he
has like we just broke five hundred, which is I
guess good for what he's doing. And but a fan
said something to Cody that, you know, Vince was, you know,
(03:40):
critiquing and criticizing some things on the show, and I
guess Cody went on like this tirade about Vince so
and I didn't see it. I don't look I really, guys,
I do no negativity. I don't read comments not to
be mean. I just because that'll kill me. I'll you know,
I get obsessed over that stuff. It upsets me because
a lot of this stuff is false, Like, you know,
it's amazing that there's one here's one story and I'll
(04:02):
get back to back on topic. I was doing a
show Wrestlmingia weekend, uh uh, one of Janella's guys, Black
Label pro Wrestling, and it was like this crazy battle
real at the end, small building, like fifty wrestlers backstage.
I was dressing outside and as a matter of fact,
that day I was with it, my sober buddy, so
(04:22):
I was not drinking. Okay, that's it for to start.
But in the in the thing, my whole gimmick was
a surprise come in cane everybody, and there was no
direction people were Nobody was talking to anybody, so there
was no communication. So there's this guy, Frank the clown.
It was a stage entrance to come into the ring
(04:44):
and you know, my music hits. He's sitting there on
the stage doing his shtick. Well, you're burying me right there.
What am I going to do? Walk past you all kindly?
You know? So I turn around, I cane lightly, my
iad might I add? And then nobody in the ring
was selling for what you know? So what I did
was I yelled get out of the way, and I
(05:05):
did it Terry funk. I threw a chair in the
ring and I unfortunately hit somebody and I guess you know,
he got hurt, he got cut open. Whatever it was
on you know me, Francy unintentional. But then those punks
get to go online and say, oh he was this,
he was that, And it's real easy to say when
when that happens. And another instance happened to me recently
(05:27):
where this promoter, a kid that I was actually doing
a podcast with that I trusted, Uh, flew me out
to Cleveland for a show, showed you twenty five people, Yes,
showed drew twenty five people and drove me to the
hotel like nothing was wrong, had the balls to come
pick me up at six in the morning. I was
(05:48):
ready for everything. Uh, but he said, oh, the flights
delayed because of something or other. I'm like, well, the
winds are perfect here, there's nothing wrong in Connecticut. So
my wife's good at this stuff, you know. I'm like,
Jill called the airline, see what's going on? Please? She
calls the airline. There was never a flight even booked
for my return and I did not only did I
(06:09):
not get paid a dime for this show, I made
like a hundred bucks in pictures. If I was lucky.
I did not get paid. I didn't even have a
flight home. So then I have to have a buddy
of mine Western Union me one hundred dollars.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
And I said no. I told those motherfuckers, you know,
could we swear? I told those motherfuckers you're driving me home?
And then and then when I exed him out of
the podcast, I didn't go public. I don't like to
air out public shit. I don't like the bury promoters
that don't pay. Even though you saw what happened to
me the other day that way too long, I didn't
(06:45):
go public, you know what I mean? Whatever, and then
the kids that are driving me home because I wasn't
returning his calls or whatever, because I gave him like
a week to make good on the money. I'm like please,
and he was like, oh tomorrow, and then the next
day tomorrow. So anyways, so he went on a rant saying, oh,
he was drunk the whole way home. Hey, what does
(07:06):
it matter if I am or not? And b you
just screwed me royally, right. I can defend myself because
I think it's you know, what's the point, what's the
point at the end, what I'm saying, it's it's it's
what it is, you know, And for everything good that's happening,
it always seems like something bad because I always I've
tried to get out of the business for a very
(07:27):
long time, and uh, you know, it's hard when it's
all you know, A and B. There's some, surprisingly besides
the Vince Russo thing, there's some other real positive things
happening so that I can't say. But you know, it's, uh,
you always have that hope. You know. I'm forty six
years old. I'm not getting any younger, and I know
(07:48):
I can't do this much longer, you know so, and
I quite frankly, I don't want to do this in
the ring much longer, except for indies because they're fun.
But I was looking, well, put it this way, I
was wanting to get into a backstage position somewhere, and
I got offered to do an in ring angle, which
I'm not too excited about. Well, no rephrase, I am excited,
(08:13):
but you know's okay, okay, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
We're not saying which show is which.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
Your confidence level sometimes dips and you know you don't
know if you could do it anymore. I don't want
to be a parody of myself. I mean, but whatever,
we'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Exactly. I feel the same way at this point, you know.
But if they book you, you will come.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
That's the way I look at it exactly.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
So you know, I asked you the other night if
you were open to talk about anything, and you said
you would, So you know, I never want to put
anybody in an uncomfortable position. But you've been up and
down and been on Twitter, very vocal about it. What
(09:00):
led to the occurrences. We're backtracking now, but it just
just I want to hear your side of it because
I know what I heard, and I know what I've seen. Yeah,
and I never really got to hear you well.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
I mean the as far as my addiction and alcoholism stuff.
That and the jail, the jail time, oh that that yeah,
Like I mean, I got off of opioids. I started
using opioids like pain pills, like a lot of us
were around the ECW days, and that carried over to
(09:37):
WWE and other stuff. You know. I was, I was
a full blown attic and I went to rehab in
twenty eleven, paid for by WWE, and I got put
on this wonderful medication called the box on, which not
only cuts cravings, but also if you go take a
(09:57):
pill or whatever, you know, take an opioid, it will
not work. You will actually does the adverse effect you
go into withdrawal. So that medication saved my life. I
haven't taken an opioid since twenty eleven. But then I
was feeling really good. I got on the DDP why stuff,
things were going really well, and you know, something in
(10:18):
me said, well, you know, it's not that bad if
I have a drink once in a while, right' I
don't feel dirty having a beer or a glass of wine.
And my personality as they tell you, you know in AA
and all that stuff. You know, it took me years,
but I started to really snowball with it, and that
(10:39):
led to me just being a full blown drunk, drinking
day and night. Like I couldn't, Like I didn't even
want it anymore. But if you didn't, you'd go into
the horrible DTS and that just call. At the point
in time, I was living with my father and mother
and another younger bro had a big home, but you know,
he was an alcoholic. His girlfriend was living there as
an alcohol like my wife was living there, and it
(11:02):
was just a formula for disasters, so they were just
the first incident was with my father where I just
I was drunk and we were fighting over money, probably,
and I specifically said to him, which first of all,
I love my dad. I would never I've never lived,
I've never been in a real fight. I'd never touch anybody.
But I said to him, oh, I'll kill you. Well,
(11:23):
he called the cops, and that's a threat. So then
I had a protective order and I had to leave
the house. So where am I going to go? So
I get arrested that time, and then every time there
was an argument or a drunken fueled debauchery, they'd come
and I'm not supposed to be on the property, gotcha, okay?
And I spent forty five days in jail because the
(11:46):
bond was so high the last time. But you know,
I'm doing programs now, you know, stuff you have to
do court ordered, but you know it'll be it's all.
It's all good now, you know that's that's behind me.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Yes, absolutely, And how many things now?
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Oh god, December fourteenth, awesome? Yeah, Yeah, when I went
when I went to jail, well, yeah, we'll do it
to you. Brother.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Yeah, I'm super proud of you. Like I said, it happens.
Things happen. Things happen for a reason. You know, you're
gonna Probably this was just the way God's telling you
you're going to come back stronger.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
I believe, so, I hope. I mean, I'm lucky. I'm
lucky to be alive. Quite frankly, you know, I was.
I was and not even more most recently, I'm just
lucky to be alive from the other days. You know,
I was taking so many pills and so many things
like in the you know, two thousands, the early two thousands,
of the late two thousands, I was just I'm surprised
(12:55):
that I'm here, you know. And that's the whole thing.
I haven't, Like, I don't touch pills, you know anything.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Yeah, yeah, because you were. I mean, when we were
in ECW together, you weren't. You weren't bad.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
I wasn't, but I was cloud like. I didn't do anything.
I like, I'll never forget. And I don't want to
mention his name, yo yo, but uh, I was given
my first oxy cotton and I fell in love, and
you know that's a major epidemic, you know nowadays two
(13:28):
it's but and then doctors too, at the time weren't
handing you because you were you know, we're on TV
and we're all the you know, they were handing you
whatever you wanted. So it was and really what had
happened was when Chris Benoit incident happened. What had happened
was then all the doctors cut us off. And that's
(13:49):
when a lot of people secretively in the business they
probably won't tell you, but you're probably getting them off
the street. And they were like eighty bucks a pill
at the time. So one day somebody said to me, hey,
you ever try heroin. I'm like, no, Well, it's like
the same as it's an opioid. That's what it is.
(14:11):
It's an opiate. And they said, well it's a million
times cheaper. You can get like ten bags for fifty bucks.
So Mike, okay, I was super sick. And that went
down that road for a little bit. You know.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Oh so so that's that you're shooting.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
It snorting it at first?
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Okay, yeah, oh yeah, it was you know, this is doe. Yeah,
I've talked about this before, but you know, I guess
it's not. I'm I don't mind talking about any of
this because it's part of wood where I am. It's
part of recovery, but it's also part of who I am,
and I feel if I talk about it, you can't
(14:52):
talk shit about it. Like you know, if I'm being
honest with you, I have nothing to hide.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Well, that's why I wanted to ask you, because I've
heard so many people say so many different things, and
I'm just like I if I want to know the story,
I'm gonna ask PJ. Yeah, I'm not going to listen
to some schmow. Just tell me what he's doing when
I know you and I don't know them from Adam,
you know.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
But that's that's the funny thing, is from maybe one
or two isolated instances. I don't talk to many people
at shows that I don't know. Yeah, I'm real quiet.
Now well I was always kind of like quiet. But
uh so it's not like I interact with a ton
of people anyway, So I don't know where these people
would get these these ideas or whatever. Again, it's the
(15:36):
stigma that follows you. It's it's it's what it is,
and it's unfortunately the way it's gonna be. Like I said,
you know, I was drunk and hit people with chairs
and just out of control. And what they say, whatever
they want. That's why I can't. I can't read it anymore,
you know, because I'm not half I mean, not to
lighten my situation, but the way I act professionally. I'm
(16:01):
still booked every weekend, so obviously I'm you know, I'm
not doing horrible things to promoters, so you know what
I mean. So I don't know, it is what it.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Is, switchers, I'm getting depressed. Let want, I want to
switch hears. Tell me your best time in your career? Well,
what what would you classify as your best time? I
know you're a big click guy and you love to click.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Not so much anymore, not so much anymore. I mean,
not that, not that I don't you know, I have
friendships with really only two of them, know, okay, but
my best time in my career was obviously he c
W specifically two thousand uh ah yeah when uh, when
(16:49):
we had that title run and even afterwards when things
are going bad. Uh. You know, I've heard Paul say
this on Steve Austin's podcast. Financially if you remember back
in the day, even the last two pay per views
we had at the Hammerstein, We're still selling out and
we were still putting on quality matches, quality shows, quality stuff. Uh,
(17:11):
you know, it gets it gets very much glorified that
ninety five and ninety you know, these years that are
in people's minds that were so you know, popular, But
to me, two thousand was was was my best year.
You know. I got to I got to live my
dream and be you know, headline pay per views and
work with you and work with Tommy and I am
Jerry and so great great people. So and Steve Carino
(17:35):
as well.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
I remember the night that we you and I got
together at the arena, yep. And I remember like it
was yesterday. I remember poor Jason because oh my god, seriously,
like we do the zeal And like Hej's in there,
and we did. We didn't work out anything at the end.
(18:01):
We were just like playing off the top of her head.
And I remember my boob was hanging out and when
I was when I get the Hogan, so I did,
I have the shirt on and I have to rip
it open, and of course my boob's hanging out and
I see Paul going like this on the stage away,
oh you know, and I cover it and I walk
(18:21):
over to you and you just grabbed me by the waist.
And here's Jason on the outside like yeah, yeah, and
nobody's paying attention to Jason. And he comes up to
me later and he's like, did you know this? And
I said no, what and he goes, you guys are
phasing me out, did you know? And I'm like, I
didn't know. I don't know anything. I felt so freaking bad.
(18:46):
I was like, dude, I would never ever try to
push you out of any equation, like this is like
your deal, Like this is what Paul told me. I
was going, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:56):
I was never officially told anything about Jason and I again,
I was just told. I just sat there and I
did what I was told, nom and literally. And I
never got in on the politics, even though Paul sometimes
would have me come over, you know, like one time,
and I didn't like it. When when I was working
(19:18):
with Shane we had that one great match at the
ECW Arena, and I think you were with Shane at
the time and I was going over. No, Shane was
going over. But it was supposed to be like this whatever.
He had me go over to his room at the
wherever we were staying in phill I think he was
at the Marriott, and he called Shane and staying in
(19:42):
the same hotel and put him on speakerphone for me
to listen, but did not tell Shane I was in
the room. And now I've become really close with Shane
to now, I mean, we're close then, but like I'm
really I really consider him a friend today and I
even then, I found it disrespectful because as he's putting
Shane over, saying, you've got to make this kid tonight's
(20:03):
then you know, tomorrow night's gonna be the night he
was doing the franchise ship to him, like mocking him
while he's talking to him, and I'm sitting here and
I think my wife was with me too, excuse me.
And I just found that, like, if he's doing that
to Shane, what's he doing to me? What's he doing
to other other people? So you know, so yeah, yeah, okay,
(20:28):
well that's what it is. But I don't like that's
something that's something that I really truly don't like, and
it really bothers me.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Yeah, I don't I don't like that either.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
That's just no, that's just not cool.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Well, anyway, I was going to say, everybody keeps talking
about like my pairing with Shane, but I feel like
you and I clicked right away as well. Yeah, we
had a really really good partnership. And I remember the
last pay per view we were forming the new Impact
(21:05):
Players with Corrino and Jack Victory.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
That's right, I see, I don't remember those storylines.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Towards the end, we cut a promo and it was
like the four of Us, okay, and we were just
cutting this promo and when we were done the promo,
we all kind of looked at each other. We were
like it's never gonna happen, like we knew, like this
is why are we even here, Like it's not going
to happen. But to me, that would have been such
a cool thing to do because like Corino was such
(21:33):
a heel, you were such a heel, and like Jack
in that wheelchair was gold.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Yeah, it would have been so fun.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
To be, you know, a team like that. But I mean,
I loved working with you. I'll be honest, Like I did.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
I did do it was it was effortless all the
That's the thing is people sometimes mistake what E CW was.
And there were times where things were you know, physically rough,
but it wasn't as it wasn't what people think. And
let me and I'll guarantee you this. They they're hitting
way harder in W W E and in NXT than
we ever did. Serious. I mean, these kids, they don't
(22:11):
work anymore. I mean, I see bloody lips, I see
bloody noses. These kids are just I don't know, man,
it is what it is.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
But I think accidents happened by we. We we say
it all the time. We literally tried to protect each other.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
We always did. Yeah, we entertained no, and we entertained
at the same time. You know, we knew how to
We kind of it all all figured out, all right,
this is where we get the and Dreamer was real
good at teaching this to me. This is where we'll
do this. We'll get this pop here, then we'll get
this other pop here. So we always knew kind of
(22:48):
where to layer our stuff. And if you know, there
was something wrong with me, if I wasn't feeling well,
we'd figure a way around it. You'd you know, you'd
help me figure a way around it. We'd just work
it all out, you know. And I think now in
the days in wrestling, you don't really I don't think,
you know, Vincrews and I talked about this today. I
don't think the guys, a lot of the younger guys
(23:11):
in the locker room have the respect that we had
for the veterans. And I certainly see that, like where
you know, you guys don't know anything. The game is
changing and we're just going to do our own thing.
And that may be true. I know the game is changing,
but uh what, everything that's old becomes new, and everything
that's new becomes old. So after I'm already like, you know,
(23:34):
we're week five into our aw review, and I towards
the end of my note writing at night, I was
already like, it's like same shit every night, you know.
You see, I literally do a gimmick now where I
count how many dives they do and how how many
apron bumps. It all looks like the same match, and
how many superkicks there are in a show, and how
many times somebody slaps their legs. It's all the same match.
(23:58):
One thing. It's a disappoint and I won't get into it.
I'm just I'm still in that mode. Is the women's
division really kind of is not good over there?
Speaker 1 (24:06):
And I thought, really, I haven't seen any of it,
so now no, I don't. I don't watch wrestling anymore.
I watched the first week of AW I watched the
first hour, and I saw a little bit of the
girls match that night, but I never saw the finish
because I think my kids were come home from school
(24:28):
and I had to go get them or something. But
just then turn it back on, like I.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Can't watch w W E. Yeah, it's it's just too long.
It's too it's the same stuff. But the one thing
I do tell the thing I can say about both
products are good, two totally different styles, you know.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Totally different styles. Okay, So right, well, I get a
lot of people, you know, and you probably get the
same thing I do. With the network out there, we
have such a new generation of fans that are watching
our stuff for the first time. Yes, and it's twenty
twenty five years old, and they're saying how it holds
(25:14):
up in the year twenty nineteen and how creative it is.
And then you go and tell me it's the same
stuff every single week. You know, we never did that
we had. We you know, there was so much variety
on our show, and yeah, it's fresh, you know.
Speaker 4 (25:32):
It kept it fresh. And one thing Paul was really
good at was and you know a lot of the
best directors are just like that. He made the most
of what he had. He would find a spot outside
of a building to do a promo. He did those
pulp fiction vignettes like that stuff that's still not being
(25:53):
done today. It's not being utilized. Like one of the
biggest criticisms I have of AW is unless you followed
the elite, those guys from before, you're in, you're a
new fan tuning in, you really don't like, you don't
know these guys are they? You know, so they're having
a hard time where Paul would like, you know, everybody
(26:14):
would have their little stick and promos and not just
long winded in ring promos where you know, WW does
like I Talk, you talk and you know, just fun stuff.
And I think it holds up today. I'm amazed that
nobody's really tried to uh, I mean people have tried,
but to try to take some of those elements and
(26:37):
freshen them up to today. Because what we also did
was and we couldn't get away with it today because
the copyrights. But man, that music with the wrestling, you know,
and it was like it made it cool and the
buildings were on fire. It looked it was so entertaining
just from just that whole thing was just it was
(26:58):
just different. And if you have the money, like an
ad w or or the w w W, well, you know,
hell if me and xpop got Uncle Crocker to give
us a song and they and they were paying for
it every time that we came out, they paid for it. Yeah,
it's like, you know, why not do a little more
of that? I think music and wrestling for a long
(27:19):
time has gone together and it could really make your
show a little hipper. You know.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I would sit in the studio and be amazed by
Paul because he would use all the cool hip artists
of you know, nineteen ninety six, and we'd be like,
how are you getting away with it? Don't worry about it,
don't relax, don't worry. I'm just like, man, this this
is really cool. But god, if you ever get caught,
how are we not caught on on on television?
Speaker 4 (27:46):
Well, you know, you know how we got away with
it on pay per view was if if it's on
in the background, like if it's not if it's not
plugged into the feed, like the direct audio feed, and
if it's like in the like this in the background,
you can get away with some of it. Not all
of it, but you could get away with some of it.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
I did an indie show with Shane not long ago,
and I recorded it for YouTube and I got flagged
for the Perfect Strangers. Yeah, I couldn't have it on
on YouTube. I didn't get monetized. They demonetized that video.
And I was just like, great, Yeah, I can't even
put an entrance on YouTube. It's ridiculous.
Speaker 4 (28:26):
Are you really kidding?
Speaker 1 (28:27):
No, that's what it was because I saw that, you know,
there's a little dollar sign and it was had a
slash through it. Yeah, And I'm looking at the video
and I said, the only thing I can think of
is Shane's music. And I think it may have been
Stevie or somebody I don't know who's music. And I said, damn,
they flagged me for that Perfect Strangers.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
Who's doing Who's watching all these videos?
Speaker 3 (28:49):
Something in like it literal and this is all above
our heads. Something in the interface that can read the
music because I had it happened to me too. I
posted a full episode of Triple Threat on YouTube and
I literally have a karaoke version of Perfect Strangers that
got flagged and I was like, I didn't even know
what song it was, Like, it's an instrumental karaoke version.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
Come on, wow, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Yeah. But if you watch w W now on the
on the network and they elevator music over all of
our enters.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
Kills the whole experience, it does.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
It kills, really does sick. But I love the fact
that that there's a whole new generation stuff.
Speaker 4 (29:34):
Yeah. I was talking about this with somebody the other day.
I don't remember who it was. Who was I with?
Oh Tatanka Uh didn't appearance with him, and I thought
you were with him too. It was just the same weekend.
I believe it was the last weekend. I was with
him the last day on Sunday and Uh. I think
they're going to put E. C. W into the Hall
of Fame, but as a faction, you know what I mean.
(29:58):
I think I think it was well because A, you're
gonna run out of players and be we really were.
He were owned by w WE, so they can see
that'll be a promotional thing. And you can just have
Hayman go out there and bring out, you know, two
or three of the e CW you know, and believe me,
they're gonna they're gonna have all of us out there
getting rings. But we should. Uh. But nonetheless, I think
(30:22):
that'll that'll be cool. It's nobody told me it's gonna happen,
but I think one of these days, sooner than later,
I think that's that's bound to happen.
Speaker 3 (30:31):
You know, they will quietly do something like that. Like
there's a thing they do for the like the old
old timers, like the sixties seventies guy and even the
fifties and sixties guys that they just.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Out of nowhere. It's called the Legacy Wing. They just
brought it out of nowhere.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Yeah, and they just pull guys out of left field
and they just say, oh, well, you're in a Hall
of fame.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
Now. It doesn't mean nothing to me because it's fake
and you know what I mean, it's it's not a
real hall of fame. What I would personally like is
one of those legends contracts. Oh yeah, because I just
want I just want an Aldo doll it's the only
thing I want, because it was like, some guy made
(31:09):
this amazing, like super super detailed. It looks like it
would have been a Mattel h right out of the package.
And I was like, wow, I really And then I
tweeted the picture and I was like, let's start a
little campaign because from what Zach Ryder was telling me, like,
if you get to the right people at Mattel, they
will pitch you know, wwe on it, because you know,
(31:32):
a lot of times they're looking for rare figures. They're
looking for you know, how many Roman range are you
going to sell? You know, like a France scene Shane
Douglas set would sell, you know, or just you know
what I mean, like like a vintage or feud thing
would sell. I think they're they owned the property already,
so I don't see why they don't do that because
(31:53):
after a while, you're you know, you made the free birds.
You know, it's like really wow.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
If they made a shame figure, I would drop dead.
Speaker 4 (32:03):
I just want I just want some of that fucking
matel money.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Well, I think if they do include us in the
Hall of Fame, I think it would be on Facebook
Live and not even on the main show. I just
don't think they care enough about the c W to
showcase us. That's just my opinion. But you never you
(32:29):
do never.
Speaker 4 (32:30):
Yeah, I never know because they're they're you know, as
long as Haymon's there, you never know.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Yeah, that's true. Anything can happen. But you mentioned Alda Montoya,
and I know on your Twitter you can either you're
cutting some messages as Aldo or you will appear as him.
So are you just yes? So are you getting a
lot of requests?
Speaker 4 (32:52):
I have done well, I can't say too much, but
I am not getting I have not gotten any bookings
yet from other than appearances for all.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
Right, okay, so all right, so you're not have you
you're not working as him in the ring yet?
Speaker 4 (33:10):
Nobody's asked.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Nobody's asked, but it's out there.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
I just thought it would have been fun because like,
you know, why not, like why not? You know, so
just to you know, another opportunity kind of to to
get a booking, but not nobody's asked for it. I
mean I have done a couple with the mask autographs,
and believe me, the mask that I've got made and
I got all new gear made is actually way better
(33:34):
than the crap. They made me so nice.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
So it's out there if you.
Speaker 4 (33:38):
Want to book them. Yeah, it's out there. It's out there.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Okay, if they want to book you was all dough,
or if they want to book he was just incredible.
You'll do double duty if you have to.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
Do whatever, I'll do whatever they want. I'm definitely a
who well, I love it.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
I'm happy for you with your new gig with Vince
for for an anything coming up that you can't talk about,
that's that's a positive thing. Works for you.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
No, I mean you know, I'm excited. I will it'll
It'll be happening soon. Yes, in the next time I
want to say it's so bad.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
That's okay. You don't have to, but I can use.
Something's gonna be happening for PJA and.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
A lot to my good lord.
Speaker 4 (34:20):
Yeah, we're gonna got a new job at Chile's starting
in December, so that no shame.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
What's uh? Okay? So where where can we find you
on social media? Plug whatever you want?
Speaker 4 (34:36):
My Pro Wrestling Teas, Pro Wrestling Teas dot Com, Backslash
just incredible. I've got four new shirts out right now
and Twitter at PJ Poloco and Instagram at PJ Poloco
and I have a Facebook page but I barely go there,
but if you are interested in booking me, you can
message me there because I do check my messages with
(34:56):
Vincerousso yeah, Vince Russo with Patreon on It's patreon dot
com backslash Russo t w C, which is Truth with Consequences.
And he's got all kinds of pay windows, like you know,
if you want to listen to our show for example, specifically,
it's three dollars a month, you know. So he's got
all kinds of of packages and he's got good stuff
(35:19):
there too. He just doesn't talk about wrestling as like
album reviews and all. He's all over the place with everything.
So he's, uh, he's got a lot of content, fine worthdry.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
Time, awesome, awesome, Well, proud of you, very proud of you.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
I'm happy everything's going good with you. And I yes,
I was talking about I was talking to my wife
about that, and we'll talk about that someday. But I
don't even remember what it was. I was just so happy.
I was just saying, I was like, I was so happy.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Now everybody's like, what are they talking about? You don't
need to know.
Speaker 4 (35:56):
It made me seriously deep inside. It made me like
really happy.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
Well, I'm glad and I do love you, and I
I hope everything worked out for you. I love Jill.
I hope everything is going well with her.
Speaker 4 (36:09):
Everything is better.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
And I'll see you somewhere.
Speaker 4 (36:14):
I'm sure we'll see each other very soon. Guys, thank
you so much for having me. And I really apologize
because like I'm running like no.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
No one knows you were late, but you're late.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
That's okay.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
He's apologizing for being such an awesome guest.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
Thanks. That's right, Well, thank you guys.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Bye.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
All right.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
So PJ has disappeared from the landscape very quickly. That's
the fastest I've ever seen anybody disconnect. Uh yeah, we're
back in real time and just awesome to have PJ on.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
I always love here.
Speaker 3 (36:51):
And what he's got to say being very open, which
I know is something that you were you were hoping
for with that that appearance and very good stuff, always
very very real, and that's one thing you can always
say about PJ.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
Absolutely, And like I said, I you know, I would
never put a guest on the spot, so I had
asked him prior, like is there anything off limits, because
I don't want to make you uncomfortable. He was like,
I'm an open book. So I wanted him to give
his side because you know what you hear, and you
know some people can fabricate things. So we wanted to
(37:24):
get it from the horse's mouth, and we did well.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Sand of the horse's ass.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
That's right, that's right. I'm so happy that he's doing
well now. I mean, you always want to see a
positive story, and I think he turned his life around
for the better.
Changing gears a little bit. Our guests is actually email
the link. Sure something went wrong on his ends.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Wherever my stuff is right now presently.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Yeah, our guest huge history with you.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
You know.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
For me, it's just kind of funny because I remember
being a young whipper snapper and trying to penetrate the
wrestling world and this guy was the first person to
bring me and John to show, so a lot of
history for us as well. We just had him on
a couple of weeks ago to talk about a w
there debut. But I'm just I always love getting PJ
on because it's always it's just for me.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
It just takes me back.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
To being twenty two, twenty three and quietly sitting in
a car with him being like.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
I don't want to say anything, stupid hilario.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Right.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, very cool to have him coming out with us.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Yeah, I'm excited about this interview. This should be a
good one. Yeah. So this next guest is a person
I worked very closely with in the ECW. He's also
known for his time in WWF is Aldo Montoya, but
I think he shines more with us. Good friend of mine. Everybody,
(01:39):
please welcome PJ Bloco, AJB Justin Crapple.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
What's going on guys?
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Anybuddy, how are you.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
Tired running around like crazy? And finally.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
We got another clean shaven guy. What are you and Russel?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
You guys like patting together to shave at the same time.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
I have his show November ninth, right, So I had
to clean this up because sometimes, you know, I'm getting grays.
So you know, this way, it'll be grown in and
I'll be looking like a normal person soon.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Okay, well, I'm happy to see you.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Happy to see you.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yes, we just had Yeah, we were just talking to
Vin through so so do you want to you want
to just start with what you're doing with Vince now?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Yeah, we do an aw review show usually every Friday.
We start off at like ten am and it's all
through Patreon and you know, we do like ten minutes
first ten minutes free on Twitch. So it's been a
really cool experience. I really dig working with him. He's
really easy. I actually I met Vince back in ninety
(02:45):
four when he was actually writing for the old WWF magazine,
so we go back a long way, but I really
didn't get to know him creatively. We never work together.
So he's a super cool dude, and then I really
I really enjoy doing it nice.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah, yeah, we were just talking a little bit. I
worked with him one time in TNA and he was
my agent two thousand and two and that was the
only time I ever got to meet him. Yeah, he's
such a sweetheart.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
But it's a shamy, you know, he gets such a
bad rap.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, we were discussing that as well.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
You know, because just recently we talked about on the
show today a little bit. Because his fans, you know,
the people that subscribe to his patreon, I think he
has like we just broke five hundred, which is I
guess good for what he's doing. And but a fan
said something to Cody that, you know, Vince was, you know,
(03:40):
critiquing and criticizing some things on the show, and I
guess Cody went on like this tirade about Vince so
and I didn't see it. I don't look I really, guys,
I do no negativity. I don't read comments not to
be mean. I just because that'll kill me. I'll you know,
I get obsessed over that stuff. It upsets me because
a lot of this stuff is false, Like, you know,
it's amazing that there's one here's one story and I'll
(04:02):
get back to back on topic. I was doing a
show Wrestlmingia weekend, uh uh, one of Janella's guys, Black
Label pro Wrestling, and it was like this crazy battle
real at the end, small building, like fifty wrestlers backstage.
I was dressing outside and as a matter of fact,
that day I was with it, my sober buddy, so
(04:22):
I was not drinking. Okay, that's it for to start.
But in the in the thing, my whole gimmick was
a surprise come in cane everybody, and there was no
direction people were Nobody was talking to anybody, so there
was no communication. So there's this guy, Frank the clown.
It was a stage entrance to come into the ring
(04:44):
and you know, my music hits. He's sitting there on
the stage doing his shtick. Well, you're burying me right there.
What am I going to do? Walk past you all kindly?
You know? So I turn around, I cane lightly, my
iad might I add? And then nobody in the ring
was selling for what you know? So what I did
was I yelled get out of the way, and I
(05:05):
did it Terry funk. I threw a chair in the
ring and I unfortunately hit somebody and I guess you know,
he got hurt, he got cut open. Whatever it was
on you know me, Francy unintentional. But then those punks
get to go online and say, oh he was this,
he was that, And it's real easy to say when
when that happens. And another instance happened to me recently
(05:27):
where this promoter, a kid that I was actually doing
a podcast with that I trusted, Uh, flew me out
to Cleveland for a show, showed you twenty five people, Yes,
showed drew twenty five people and drove me to the
hotel like nothing was wrong, had the balls to come
pick me up at six in the morning. I was
(05:48):
ready for everything. Uh, but he said, oh, the flights
delayed because of something or other. I'm like, well, the
winds are perfect here, there's nothing wrong in Connecticut. So
my wife's good at this stuff, you know. I'm like,
Jill called the airline, see what's going on? Please? She
calls the airline. There was never a flight even booked
for my return and I did not only did I
(06:09):
not get paid a dime for this show, I made
like a hundred bucks in pictures. If I was lucky.
I did not get paid. I didn't even have a
flight home. So then I have to have a buddy
of mine Western Union me one hundred dollars.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
And I said no. I told those motherfuckers, you know,
could we swear? I told those motherfuckers you're driving me home?
And then and then when I exed him out of
the podcast, I didn't go public. I don't like to
air out public shit. I don't like the bury promoters
that don't pay. Even though you saw what happened to
me the other day that way too long, I didn't
(06:45):
go public, you know what I mean? Whatever, and then
the kids that are driving me home because I wasn't
returning his calls or whatever, because I gave him like
a week to make good on the money. I'm like please,
and he was like, oh tomorrow, and then the next
day tomorrow. So anyways, so he went on a rant saying, oh,
he was drunk the whole way home. Hey, what does
(07:06):
it matter if I am or not? And b you
just screwed me royally, right. I can defend myself because
I think it's you know, what's the point, what's the
point at the end, what I'm saying, it's it's it's
what it is, you know, And for everything good that's happening,
it always seems like something bad because I always I've
tried to get out of the business for a very
(07:27):
long time, and uh, you know, it's hard when it's
all you know, A and B. There's some, surprisingly besides
the Vince Russo thing, there's some other real positive things
happening so that I can't say. But you know, it's, uh,
you always have that hope. You know. I'm forty six
years old. I'm not getting any younger, and I know
(07:48):
I can't do this much longer, you know so, and
I quite frankly, I don't want to do this in
the ring much longer, except for indies because they're fun.
But I was looking, well, put it this way, I
was wanting to get into a backstage position somewhere, and
I got offered to do an in ring angle, which
I'm not too excited about. Well, no rephrase, I am excited,
(08:13):
but you know's okay, okay, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
We're not saying which show is which.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
Your confidence level sometimes dips and you know you don't
know if you could do it anymore. I don't want
to be a parody of myself. I mean, but whatever,
we'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Exactly. I feel the same way at this point, you know.
But if they book you, you will come.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
That's the way I look at it exactly.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
So you know, I asked you the other night if
you were open to talk about anything, and you said
you would, So you know, I never want to put
anybody in an uncomfortable position. But you've been up and
down and been on Twitter, very vocal about it. What
(09:00):
led to the occurrences. We're backtracking now, but it just
just I want to hear your side of it because
I know what I heard, and I know what I've seen. Yeah,
and I never really got to hear you well.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
I mean the as far as my addiction and alcoholism stuff.
That and the jail, the jail time, oh that that yeah,
Like I mean, I got off of opioids. I started
using opioids like pain pills, like a lot of us
were around the ECW days, and that carried over to
(09:37):
WWE and other stuff. You know. I was, I was
a full blown attic and I went to rehab in
twenty eleven, paid for by WWE, and I got put
on this wonderful medication called the box on, which not
only cuts cravings, but also if you go take a
(09:57):
pill or whatever, you know, take an opioid, it will
not work. You will actually does the adverse effect you
go into withdrawal. So that medication saved my life. I
haven't taken an opioid since twenty eleven. But then I
was feeling really good. I got on the DDP why stuff,
things were going really well, and you know, something in
(10:18):
me said, well, you know, it's not that bad if
I have a drink once in a while, right' I
don't feel dirty having a beer or a glass of wine.
And my personality as they tell you, you know in AA
and all that stuff. You know, it took me years,
but I started to really snowball with it, and that
(10:39):
led to me just being a full blown drunk, drinking
day and night. Like I couldn't, Like I didn't even
want it anymore. But if you didn't, you'd go into
the horrible DTS and that just call. At the point
in time, I was living with my father and mother
and another younger bro had a big home, but you know,
he was an alcoholic. His girlfriend was living there as
an alcohol like my wife was living there, and it
(11:02):
was just a formula for disasters, so they were just
the first incident was with my father where I just
I was drunk and we were fighting over money, probably,
and I specifically said to him, which first of all,
I love my dad. I would never I've never lived,
I've never been in a real fight. I'd never touch anybody.
But I said to him, oh, I'll kill you. Well,
(11:23):
he called the cops, and that's a threat. So then
I had a protective order and I had to leave
the house. So where am I going to go? So
I get arrested that time, and then every time there
was an argument or a drunken fueled debauchery, they'd come
and I'm not supposed to be on the property, gotcha, okay?
And I spent forty five days in jail because the
(11:46):
bond was so high the last time. But you know,
I'm doing programs now, you know, stuff you have to
do court ordered, but you know it'll be it's all.
It's all good now, you know that's that's behind me.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Yes, absolutely, And how many things now?
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Oh god, December fourteenth, awesome? Yeah, Yeah, when I went
when I went to jail, well, yeah, we'll do it
to you. Brother.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Yeah, I'm super proud of you. Like I said, it happens.
Things happen. Things happen for a reason. You know, you're
gonna Probably this was just the way God's telling you
you're going to come back stronger.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
I believe, so, I hope. I mean, I'm lucky. I'm
lucky to be alive. Quite frankly, you know, I was.
I was and not even more most recently, I'm just
lucky to be alive from the other days. You know,
I was taking so many pills and so many things
like in the you know, two thousands, the early two thousands,
of the late two thousands, I was just I'm surprised
(12:55):
that I'm here, you know. And that's the whole thing.
I haven't, Like, I don't touch pills, you know anything.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Yeah, yeah, because you were. I mean, when we were
in ECW together, you weren't. You weren't bad.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
I wasn't, but I was cloud like. I didn't do anything.
I like, I'll never forget. And I don't want to
mention his name, yo yo, but uh, I was given
my first oxy cotton and I fell in love, and
you know that's a major epidemic, you know nowadays two
(13:28):
it's but and then doctors too, at the time weren't
handing you because you were you know, we're on TV
and we're all the you know, they were handing you
whatever you wanted. So it was and really what had
happened was when Chris Benoit incident happened. What had happened
was then all the doctors cut us off. And that's
(13:49):
when a lot of people secretively in the business they
probably won't tell you, but you're probably getting them off
the street. And they were like eighty bucks a pill
at the time. So one day somebody said to me, hey,
you ever try heroin. I'm like, no, Well, it's like
the same as it's an opioid. That's what it is.
(14:11):
It's an opiate. And they said, well it's a million
times cheaper. You can get like ten bags for fifty bucks.
So Mike, okay, I was super sick. And that went
down that road for a little bit. You know.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Oh so so that's that you're shooting.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
It snorting it at first?
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Okay, yeah, oh yeah, it was you know, this is doe. Yeah,
I've talked about this before, but you know, I guess
it's not. I'm I don't mind talking about any of
this because it's part of wood where I am. It's
part of recovery, but it's also part of who I am,
and I feel if I talk about it, you can't
(14:52):
talk shit about it. Like you know, if I'm being
honest with you, I have nothing to hide.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Well, that's why I wanted to ask you, because I've
heard so many people say so many different things, and
I'm just like I if I want to know the story,
I'm gonna ask PJ. Yeah, I'm not going to listen
to some schmow. Just tell me what he's doing when
I know you and I don't know them from Adam,
you know.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
But that's that's the funny thing, is from maybe one
or two isolated instances. I don't talk to many people
at shows that I don't know. Yeah, I'm real quiet.
Now well I was always kind of like quiet. But
uh so it's not like I interact with a ton
of people anyway, So I don't know where these people
would get these these ideas or whatever. Again, it's the
(15:36):
stigma that follows you. It's it's it's what it is,
and it's unfortunately the way it's gonna be. Like I said,
you know, I was drunk and hit people with chairs
and just out of control. And what they say, whatever
they want. That's why I can't. I can't read it anymore,
you know, because I'm not half I mean, not to
lighten my situation, but the way I act professionally. I'm
(16:01):
still booked every weekend, so obviously I'm you know, I'm
not doing horrible things to promoters, so you know what
I mean. So I don't know, it is what it.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Is, switchers, I'm getting depressed. Let want, I want to
switch hears. Tell me your best time in your career? Well,
what what would you classify as your best time? I
know you're a big click guy and you love to click.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Not so much anymore, not so much anymore. I mean,
not that, not that I don't you know, I have
friendships with really only two of them, know, okay, but
my best time in my career was obviously he c
W specifically two thousand uh ah yeah when uh, when
(16:49):
we had that title run and even afterwards when things
are going bad. Uh. You know, I've heard Paul say
this on Steve Austin's podcast. Financially if you remember back
in the day, even the last two pay per views
we had at the Hammerstein, We're still selling out and
we were still putting on quality matches, quality shows, quality stuff. Uh,
(17:11):
you know, it gets it gets very much glorified that
ninety five and ninety you know, these years that are
in people's minds that were so you know, popular, But
to me, two thousand was was was my best year.
You know. I got to I got to live my
dream and be you know, headline pay per views and
work with you and work with Tommy and I am
Jerry and so great great people. So and Steve Carino
(17:35):
as well.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
I remember the night that we you and I got
together at the arena, yep. And I remember like it
was yesterday. I remember poor Jason because oh my god, seriously,
like we do the zeal And like Hej's in there,
and we did. We didn't work out anything at the end.
(18:01):
We were just like playing off the top of her head.
And I remember my boob was hanging out and when
I was when I get the Hogan, so I did,
I have the shirt on and I have to rip
it open, and of course my boob's hanging out and
I see Paul going like this on the stage away,
oh you know, and I cover it and I walk
(18:21):
over to you and you just grabbed me by the waist.
And here's Jason on the outside like yeah, yeah, and
nobody's paying attention to Jason. And he comes up to
me later and he's like, did you know this? And
I said no, what and he goes, you guys are
phasing me out, did you know? And I'm like, I
didn't know. I don't know anything. I felt so freaking bad.
(18:46):
I was like, dude, I would never ever try to
push you out of any equation, like this is like
your deal, Like this is what Paul told me. I
was going, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:56):
I was never officially told anything about Jason and I again,
I was just told. I just sat there and I
did what I was told, nom and literally. And I
never got in on the politics, even though Paul sometimes
would have me come over, you know, like one time,
and I didn't like it. When when I was working
(19:18):
with Shane we had that one great match at the
ECW Arena, and I think you were with Shane at
the time and I was going over. No, Shane was
going over. But it was supposed to be like this whatever.
He had me go over to his room at the
wherever we were staying in phill I think he was
at the Marriott, and he called Shane and staying in
(19:42):
the same hotel and put him on speakerphone for me
to listen, but did not tell Shane I was in
the room. And now I've become really close with Shane
to now, I mean, we're close then, but like I'm
really I really consider him a friend today and I
even then, I found it disrespectful because as he's putting
Shane over, saying, you've got to make this kid tonight's
(20:03):
then you know, tomorrow night's gonna be the night he
was doing the franchise ship to him, like mocking him
while he's talking to him, and I'm sitting here and
I think my wife was with me too, excuse me.
And I just found that, like, if he's doing that
to Shane, what's he doing to me? What's he doing
to other other people? So you know, so yeah, yeah, okay,
(20:28):
well that's what it is. But I don't like that's
something that's something that I really truly don't like, and
it really bothers me.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Yeah, I don't I don't like that either.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
That's just no, that's just not cool.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Well, anyway, I was going to say, everybody keeps talking
about like my pairing with Shane, but I feel like
you and I clicked right away as well. Yeah, we
had a really really good partnership. And I remember the
last pay per view we were forming the new Impact
(21:05):
Players with Corrino and Jack Victory.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
That's right, I see, I don't remember those storylines.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Towards the end, we cut a promo and it was
like the four of Us, okay, and we were just
cutting this promo and when we were done the promo,
we all kind of looked at each other. We were
like it's never gonna happen, like we knew, like this
is why are we even here, Like it's not going
to happen. But to me, that would have been such
a cool thing to do because like Corino was such
(21:33):
a heel, you were such a heel, and like Jack
in that wheelchair was gold.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Yeah, it would have been so fun.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
To be, you know, a team like that. But I mean,
I loved working with you. I'll be honest, Like I did.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
I did do it was it was effortless all the
That's the thing is people sometimes mistake what E CW was.
And there were times where things were you know, physically rough,
but it wasn't as it wasn't what people think. And
let me and I'll guarantee you this. They they're hitting
way harder in W W E and in NXT than
we ever did. Serious. I mean, these kids, they don't
(22:11):
work anymore. I mean, I see bloody lips, I see
bloody noses. These kids are just I don't know, man,
it is what it is.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
But I think accidents happened by we. We we say
it all the time. We literally tried to protect each other.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
We always did. Yeah, we entertained no, and we entertained
at the same time. You know, we knew how to
We kind of it all all figured out, all right,
this is where we get the and Dreamer was real
good at teaching this to me. This is where we'll
do this. We'll get this pop here, then we'll get
this other pop here. So we always knew kind of
(22:48):
where to layer our stuff. And if you know, there
was something wrong with me, if I wasn't feeling well,
we'd figure a way around it. You'd you know, you'd
help me figure a way around it. We'd just work
it all out, you know. And I think now in
the days in wrestling, you don't really I don't think,
you know, Vincrews and I talked about this today. I
don't think the guys, a lot of the younger guys
(23:11):
in the locker room have the respect that we had
for the veterans. And I certainly see that, like where
you know, you guys don't know anything. The game is
changing and we're just going to do our own thing.
And that may be true. I know the game is changing,
but uh what, everything that's old becomes new, and everything
that's new becomes old. So after I'm already like, you know,
(23:34):
we're week five into our aw review, and I towards
the end of my note writing at night, I was
already like, it's like same shit every night, you know.
You see, I literally do a gimmick now where I
count how many dives they do and how how many
apron bumps. It all looks like the same match, and
how many superkicks there are in a show, and how
many times somebody slaps their legs. It's all the same match.
(23:58):
One thing. It's a disappoint and I won't get into it.
I'm just I'm still in that mode. Is the women's
division really kind of is not good over there?
Speaker 1 (24:06):
And I thought, really, I haven't seen any of it,
so now no, I don't. I don't watch wrestling anymore.
I watched the first week of AW I watched the
first hour, and I saw a little bit of the
girls match that night, but I never saw the finish
because I think my kids were come home from school
(24:28):
and I had to go get them or something. But
just then turn it back on, like I.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Can't watch w W E. Yeah, it's it's just too long.
It's too it's the same stuff. But the one thing
I do tell the thing I can say about both
products are good, two totally different styles, you know.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Totally different styles. Okay, So right, well, I get a
lot of people, you know, and you probably get the
same thing I do. With the network out there, we
have such a new generation of fans that are watching
our stuff for the first time. Yes, and it's twenty
twenty five years old, and they're saying how it holds
(25:14):
up in the year twenty nineteen and how creative it is.
And then you go and tell me it's the same
stuff every single week. You know, we never did that
we had. We you know, there was so much variety
on our show, and yeah, it's fresh, you know.
Speaker 4 (25:32):
It kept it fresh. And one thing Paul was really
good at was and you know a lot of the
best directors are just like that. He made the most
of what he had. He would find a spot outside
of a building to do a promo. He did those
pulp fiction vignettes like that stuff that's still not being
(25:53):
done today. It's not being utilized. Like one of the
biggest criticisms I have of AW is unless you followed
the elite, those guys from before, you're in, you're a
new fan tuning in, you really don't like, you don't
know these guys are they? You know, so they're having
a hard time where Paul would like, you know, everybody
(26:14):
would have their little stick and promos and not just
long winded in ring promos where you know, WW does
like I Talk, you talk and you know, just fun stuff.
And I think it holds up today. I'm amazed that
nobody's really tried to uh, I mean people have tried,
but to try to take some of those elements and
(26:37):
freshen them up to today. Because what we also did
was and we couldn't get away with it today because
the copyrights. But man, that music with the wrestling, you know,
and it was like it made it cool and the
buildings were on fire. It looked it was so entertaining
just from just that whole thing was just it was
(26:58):
just different. And if you have the money, like an
ad w or or the w w W, well, you know,
hell if me and xpop got Uncle Crocker to give
us a song and they and they were paying for
it every time that we came out, they paid for it. Yeah,
it's like, you know, why not do a little more
of that? I think music and wrestling for a long
(27:19):
time has gone together and it could really make your
show a little hipper. You know.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I would sit in the studio and be amazed by
Paul because he would use all the cool hip artists
of you know, nineteen ninety six, and we'd be like,
how are you getting away with it? Don't worry about it,
don't relax, don't worry. I'm just like, man, this this
is really cool. But god, if you ever get caught,
how are we not caught on on on television?
Speaker 4 (27:46):
Well, you know, you know how we got away with
it on pay per view was if if it's on
in the background, like if it's not if it's not
plugged into the feed, like the direct audio feed, and
if it's like in the like this in the background,
you can get away with some of it. Not all
of it, but you could get away with some of it.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
I did an indie show with Shane not long ago,
and I recorded it for YouTube and I got flagged
for the Perfect Strangers. Yeah, I couldn't have it on
on YouTube. I didn't get monetized. They demonetized that video.
And I was just like, great, Yeah, I can't even
put an entrance on YouTube. It's ridiculous.
Speaker 4 (28:26):
Are you really kidding?
Speaker 1 (28:27):
No, that's what it was because I saw that, you know,
there's a little dollar sign and it was had a
slash through it. Yeah, And I'm looking at the video
and I said, the only thing I can think of
is Shane's music. And I think it may have been
Stevie or somebody I don't know who's music. And I said, damn,
they flagged me for that Perfect Strangers.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
Who's doing Who's watching all these videos?
Speaker 3 (28:49):
Something in like it literal and this is all above
our heads. Something in the interface that can read the
music because I had it happened to me too. I
posted a full episode of Triple Threat on YouTube and
I literally have a karaoke version of Perfect Strangers that
got flagged and I was like, I didn't even know
what song it was, Like, it's an instrumental karaoke version.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
Come on, wow, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Yeah. But if you watch w W now on the
on the network and they elevator music over all of
our enters.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
Kills the whole experience, it does.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
It kills, really does sick. But I love the fact
that that there's a whole new generation stuff.
Speaker 4 (29:34):
Yeah. I was talking about this with somebody the other day.
I don't remember who it was. Who was I with?
Oh Tatanka Uh didn't appearance with him, and I thought
you were with him too. It was just the same weekend.
I believe it was the last weekend. I was with
him the last day on Sunday and Uh. I think
they're going to put E. C. W into the Hall
of Fame, but as a faction, you know what I mean.
(29:58):
I think I think it was well because A, you're
gonna run out of players and be we really were.
He were owned by w WE, so they can see
that'll be a promotional thing. And you can just have
Hayman go out there and bring out, you know, two
or three of the e CW you know, and believe me,
they're gonna they're gonna have all of us out there
getting rings. But we should. Uh. But nonetheless, I think
(30:22):
that'll that'll be cool. It's nobody told me it's gonna happen,
but I think one of these days, sooner than later,
I think that's that's bound to happen.
Speaker 3 (30:31):
You know, they will quietly do something like that. Like
there's a thing they do for the like the old
old timers, like the sixties seventies guy and even the
fifties and sixties guys that they just.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Out of nowhere. It's called the Legacy Wing. They just
brought it out of nowhere.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Yeah, and they just pull guys out of left field
and they just say, oh, well, you're in a Hall
of fame.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
Now. It doesn't mean nothing to me because it's fake
and you know what I mean, it's it's not a
real hall of fame. What I would personally like is
one of those legends contracts. Oh yeah, because I just
want I just want an Aldo doll it's the only
thing I want, because it was like, some guy made
(31:09):
this amazing, like super super detailed. It looks like it
would have been a Mattel h right out of the package.
And I was like, wow, I really And then I
tweeted the picture and I was like, let's start a
little campaign because from what Zach Ryder was telling me, like,
if you get to the right people at Mattel, they
will pitch you know, wwe on it, because you know,
(31:32):
a lot of times they're looking for rare figures. They're
looking for you know, how many Roman range are you
going to sell? You know, like a France scene Shane
Douglas set would sell, you know, or just you know
what I mean, like like a vintage or feud thing
would sell. I think they're they owned the property already,
so I don't see why they don't do that because
(31:53):
after a while, you're you know, you made the free birds.
You know, it's like really wow.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
If they made a shame figure, I would drop dead.
Speaker 4 (32:03):
I just want I just want some of that fucking
matel money.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Well, I think if they do include us in the
Hall of Fame, I think it would be on Facebook
Live and not even on the main show. I just
don't think they care enough about the c W to
showcase us. That's just my opinion. But you never you
(32:29):
do never.
Speaker 4 (32:30):
Yeah, I never know because they're they're you know, as
long as Haymon's there, you never know.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Yeah, that's true. Anything can happen. But you mentioned Alda Montoya,
and I know on your Twitter you can either you're
cutting some messages as Aldo or you will appear as him.
So are you just yes? So are you getting a
lot of requests?
Speaker 4 (32:52):
I have done well, I can't say too much, but
I am not getting I have not gotten any bookings
yet from other than appearances for all.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
Right, okay, so all right, so you're not have you
you're not working as him in the ring yet?
Speaker 4 (33:10):
Nobody's asked.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Nobody's asked, but it's out there.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
I just thought it would have been fun because like,
you know, why not, like why not? You know, so
just to you know, another opportunity kind of to to
get a booking, but not nobody's asked for it. I
mean I have done a couple with the mask autographs,
and believe me, the mask that I've got made and
I got all new gear made is actually way better
(33:34):
than the crap. They made me so nice.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
So it's out there if you.
Speaker 4 (33:38):
Want to book them. Yeah, it's out there. It's out there.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Okay, if they want to book you was all dough,
or if they want to book he was just incredible.
You'll do double duty if you have to.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
Do whatever, I'll do whatever they want. I'm definitely a
who well, I love it.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
I'm happy for you with your new gig with Vince
for for an anything coming up that you can't talk about,
that's that's a positive thing. Works for you.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
No, I mean you know, I'm excited. I will it'll
It'll be happening soon. Yes, in the next time I
want to say it's so bad.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
That's okay. You don't have to, but I can use.
Something's gonna be happening for PJA and.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
A lot to my good lord.
Speaker 4 (34:20):
Yeah, we're gonna got a new job at Chile's starting
in December, so that no shame.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
What's uh? Okay? So where where can we find you
on social media? Plug whatever you want?
Speaker 4 (34:36):
My Pro Wrestling Teas, Pro Wrestling Teas dot Com, Backslash
just incredible. I've got four new shirts out right now
and Twitter at PJ Poloco and Instagram at PJ Poloco
and I have a Facebook page but I barely go there,
but if you are interested in booking me, you can
message me there because I do check my messages with
(34:56):
Vincerousso yeah, Vince Russo with Patreon on It's patreon dot
com backslash Russo t w C, which is Truth with Consequences.
And he's got all kinds of pay windows, like you know,
if you want to listen to our show for example, specifically,
it's three dollars a month, you know. So he's got
all kinds of of packages and he's got good stuff
(35:19):
there too. He just doesn't talk about wrestling as like
album reviews and all. He's all over the place with everything.
So he's, uh, he's got a lot of content, fine worthdry.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
Time, awesome, awesome, Well, proud of you, very proud of you.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
I'm happy everything's going good with you. And I yes,
I was talking about I was talking to my wife
about that, and we'll talk about that someday. But I
don't even remember what it was. I was just so happy.
I was just saying, I was like, I was so happy.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Now everybody's like, what are they talking about? You don't
need to know.
Speaker 4 (35:56):
It made me seriously deep inside. It made me like
really happy.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
Well, I'm glad and I do love you, and I
I hope everything worked out for you. I love Jill.
I hope everything is going well with her.
Speaker 4 (36:09):
Everything is better.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
And I'll see you somewhere.
Speaker 4 (36:14):
I'm sure we'll see each other very soon. Guys, thank
you so much for having me. And I really apologize
because like I'm running like no.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
No one knows you were late, but you're late.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
That's okay.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
He's apologizing for being such an awesome guest.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
Thanks. That's right, Well, thank you guys.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Bye.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
All right.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
So PJ has disappeared from the landscape very quickly. That's
the fastest I've ever seen anybody disconnect. Uh yeah, we're
back in real time and just awesome to have PJ on.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
I always love here.
Speaker 3 (36:51):
And what he's got to say being very open, which
I know is something that you were you were hoping
for with that that appearance and very good stuff, always
very very real, and that's one thing you can always
say about PJ.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
Absolutely, And like I said, I you know, I would
never put a guest on the spot, so I had
asked him prior, like is there anything off limits, because
I don't want to make you uncomfortable. He was like,
I'm an open book. So I wanted him to give
his side because you know what you hear, and you
know some people can fabricate things. So we wanted to
(37:24):
get it from the horse's mouth, and we did well.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Sand of the horse's ass.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
That's right, that's right. I'm so happy that he's doing
well now. I mean, you always want to see a
positive story, and I think he turned his life around
for the better.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.