Kevin Kellam passed this interview along with Greg Valentine.
Do you still watch Pro Wrestling like WWE and enjoy it?
Valentine: I don’t watch much of it, because I would like to be in there doing it. I would like to show some of these guys to slow it down, and do it right. I don’t like it like I used to. There are certain guys, I do like. Of course, everybody likes John Cena. He has that ‘old school’ mentality and Randy Orton, I am a good friend of his father. Randy is a phenomenal wrestler. I don’t know about CM Punk, he does some outlandish things in the ring but I like bigger guys. I like the Rock, big fan of the Rock, Dwayne Johnson. I used to wrestle his dad all the time.
I can not forget Big Show. I was around the big Show when he first got into the business, him and his wife would hang out in my backyard in Florida. He’s old school all the way too. So when I know all those guys are going to be in the ring, I will watch the show. I don’t watch all the guys I don’t know.
The WWE Hall of Fame is special this year as it is every year, but this year it’s being held at Madison Square Garden. The class of inductees some true greats like Mick Foley, Bob Backlund, Bruno Sammartino and Trish Stratus. As a fellow Hall of Famer, what do you think of this year’s inductees? Do you like seeing other guys you came up get that same honor? Tell us about your Hall of Fame experience in 2004.
Valentine: Ya know what in 2004, Wrestlemania XX was being held at Madison Square Garden. (WWE) had the induction at the New York Hilton Hotel, which was not far from the Garden, the night before and then on Sunday during Wresltmania they brought us on stage. It was quite a crew, Jesse Venture, Don Morrocco, Bobby Heenan, John Stud’s son was there because he past away, Sgt. Slaughter was there. Tito, can’t forget Tito was in there too! That was, is a great, great honor.
They have been trying to get this deal done with Bruno Sammartino for a long, long time. They finally got it done. Bruno should have been in years ago, but I think it will be better this way.
And Bob Backlund, who I had all of those hour long matches with, it’s going to be fun to see him get inducted. He certainly deserves it. Mick Foley for all the crazy stuff he did, like falling off the top of that cage. He’s the Evel Knievel of Wrestling. Trish, she’s just one of the best girl wrestlers ever.
I heard a rumor that Jake ‘the Snake’ Roberts may go in. He was a phenomenal wrestler, a second generation wrestler like myself.His mind and that gimmick with the snake, everybody knows that name. I don’t know if this is his year, but I would certainly like to see it happen.
To check out the full interview, click here.
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Kenny McIntosh passed this along.
Jason Sensation joined Inside The Ropes this week, here are the highlights:
On working with WWF after Montreal being close with The Harts:
There was a couple of times I was doing some home shopping gigs in Canada with WWE and this was prior to my parody as Owen and Triple H was at one of the shows and he came up and asked me to dress up like Bret and make fun of him. I really didn’t wanna do it, he was my favourite guy and everything. Triple H had to sit down and explain the business to me, telling me:
“You can be a fan, you’re not offending him, this is a job. You’re getting an opportunity, you can still impersonate him for us and it can be in dedication to him even though you’re making fun of him, it’s just part of the gimmick”
When the time came, I just wanted to run for it and do what they wanted. I remember going and talking to Owen, the fan in me wanted to know, I tried to get him to open up, if he was happy or if he hated where he was. He said he was really content. He kinda gave me the OK that I could go for my dream there.
The Owen parody:
They wanted to sign me to a contract eventually so they brought me to shows, my first on the road job was to do Owen Hart. The way that Russo had wrote the promo was for me to be the stick man and do the impressions of each guy (Nation member) while each guy dressed up. It was really a last minute thing. Chyna didn’t want to dress up as Owen Hart. She was like “I really don’t want to, i think it’s really out of character for me, i think it’s better if I just stay myself” So they said “Fine, lets just make Jason, Owen Hart and you guys just try to do the impressions yourself” so I was supposed to impersonate the whole Nation. It’s funny how it was all a big last minute change. It turned into something awesome.
On Owen’s passing:
He really made an impression on me. He was the one that helped me get in, and his impression is what helped me get over. I really looked up to him, he was like an angel to me. I was watching the PPV at home and it shook my whole world up. It was the saddest thing ever. The wrestling world lost a brother, it was so sad. It was one of the saddest times. I made sure I made sure I got to the funeral to pay my respects. I was really, really broken, I can’t imagine how his family felt, my heart still cries for them. It’s the greatest loss in wrestling to this day, he’s the greatest guy I ever knew in my life.
To hear the full interview where Jason talks about how Owen got him his start, meeting Vince and hear him do impressions of Hogan, Savage, Bret and much more, head to http://www.facebook.com/theinsidenetwork