Weasel Tales: The Bobby Heenan Archives - An Introspective Brain On Wrestling And Life

Text Me, Ya Ham And Egger

Have you ever felt the weight of society's expectations pressing down on you, or struggled to find the thin line between personal happiness and the happiness of others? Our latest guest, a seasoned pro from the world of professional wrestling, shares a gripping narrative that could have you rethinking the very essence of performance and success. Together, we peel back the curtain on the mind's secrets, the balance of belief amidst life's distractions, and the poignant quest for integrity in an industry riddled with spectacle and politics.

This conversation is a candid exploration of what it takes to draw money and captivate audiences, comparing the art of wrestling to the craft of illustrious actors like Sean Connery and Tom Hanks. Our guest doesn't hold back, revealing the inner workings of wrestling promotions and the delicate balance between favoritism and talent. We confront the harsh realities of embarrassment, the pressures of upholding an act, and share personal stories that illuminate the struggles and triumphs behind the glitz of the wrestling ring. Strap in for an episode that's as raw as a locker-room brawl, yet as insightful as a heart-to-heart after the final bell.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Relatives are like fish After three days they stink
.
Bobby, bobby, bobby, bobbyBobby.
No-transcript.

(00:30):
The more secretive thing in theworld is a person's mind.
Because you don't want to letme know what you step up on or
what you mean to tell me.
Because there are things inyour mind, in my mind, that no
one will ever know.
Yes, I like to be tied into aduck with a skate key, but no

(00:52):
one's going to know that.
I like a catcher's mick and aonion, but that's okay.
But really no one knows whatgoes on in anybody's mind.
So you can't really say I knowwhat you're thinking.
You never know what anybody'sthinking.
You just have to do what youhave to do in your life that
makes you happy without hurtinganyone.
If you hurt someone or lie tosomeone, cheat someone, they

(01:14):
might never come back around.
They say, carmen, we're goingaround and around.
I don't believe that.
I see a lot of people have donea lot of bad things and they're
fine.
I see a lot of good people thathave suffered.
You should try to believe inall that.
Belief is a hard thing in thisworld, a life to believe in

(01:35):
something because there's somany distractions that make you
not believe and when you don'tbelieve in something, people
think I'm not talking about yourrace, I'm talking about
believing in it.
Your marriage, your wife, yourgirlfriend, your job.
There's a lot of things youjust don't believe in sometimes
and don't make sense.

(01:56):
I was always embarrassed to be awrestler Because I had to
protect what I did.
Well, there's no masked men.
There's no guy behind Dexterfrom Yankee Stadium with a mask.
You don't know if the guy atthe NBA from parts unknown.
I mean, how could I work for apromoter and not tell them who I

(02:17):
am?
How did I get paid?
This is stupid.
So if you defend that to people, you can't do it.
It was an embarrassment.
It really was an embarrassment.
They should have known whatgreat actors some of us were.
Some weren't, but some were.
And the ones that were were theones that drew money, and

(02:39):
that's how you can tell a greatactor, especially Tracy Sean
Connery.
Nowadays they have Tom Hanks,who's a great actor.
Brad Pitt I've never seen himin anything, but I'd like to
watch him and his wife's in that.
Never mind.
No, you never know.

(03:03):
But a wrestler you can tell ifhe's good, if he draws money,
and you know an average fan cango out there and watch a
wrestler and tell one time ifthey like him or not.
That's the truth.
You know that.
No, that's the truth.
He may get a little better, buthe's going to always be the
same.
Yeah, oh, exactly yeah.

(03:24):
But there's some guys that areIn the beginning, some guys Rick
Flair, bobby Heenan, rayStevens, pat Patterson, and
there were some guys that justnever made it.
They were like a fart in aspace suit.

(03:46):
What about you?
Know how much does they alwaystalk about politics and playing
politics backstage?
How much does that balance outwith the talent?
I mean you?
Oh, it's very important If thebroker likes you.
Yeah, if the broker likes you,I'm not going to promote it, but
the broker For you people thatare coming to support me.

(04:07):
If I was the promoter and Ihired Steve Anderson to be a
broker, I'd say you're right,don't bother me.
Well, maybe my thoughts are inmy case.
So if a promoter comes in,let's say I'm running the AWA or
WWF and I'm the broker there.
I bring in two guys who I likeand they're not really that

(04:34):
great at counting, but I likethem.
I will push them down yourthroat and you can either buy
tickets or not.
Come along.
Traders will tell you veryquickly they like you or not, so
it don't take long.
But some bookers just like to dothat because they like these
guys and they want to make themmoney.
You want to make them money.
Put a guy on you don't like whocan draw money and then send

(04:59):
him a check at home.
That'll hurt all of us.
You don't want to make moneyoff what makes you money off.
That's what you have to do.
So those guys aren't so muchfocused on the consumer, they
just want to put their friendsover.
Well, first of all, the booker.
He only gets a very smallpercentage.

(05:21):
I was offered a job once as abooker in a territory for $100 a
week.
I said $100 a week.
He said yeah, but whatever youbook yourself into which means
the main advantage of themyou'll make more.
That makes the same as working.
That means for $100 a week.
I have to be in the office fivedays a week from 10 to 6
o'clock on the phone, with allthese guys kissing my ass while

(05:45):
I'm in for $100.
Everybody wants to be a bookerbecause it's a control thing,
it's a power thing.
Some bookers were great.
Red Nastine was a great booker.
Some were ridiculous, some werefoolish, some couldn't book
anything, some couldn't call acab.

(06:06):
I mean, you could see it.
I mean, what was it?
I mean, what was it?
Wcw?
You put the bell on Daniel'smother, on David, our kid,
because the thing was me andBuck are two people that had
never been in the business andit sounds like I'm not going to,

(06:28):
but that's the truth.
I couldn't right now run ahockey team or anything.
I've only done one thing in mylife, that's wrestling and make
people laugh.
I can be stupid and runwrestling, but that's it and I
made a living off that.
I told one.
I said you beat Nick one moretime.

(06:50):
You get to keep him.
Put the word in the streets.