#75 – Beyond the Mat
We celebrate #75 by analyzing the classic wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat and look at feedback from the Yokozuna Body Slam challenge and the Andre the Giant/Stan Hansen/Crusher Blackwell episode. Also receive free life relationship advice from Dre. Thanks to Dean Stahl for the special edition iTunes art.
Dear good people!
Can’t download the show,
neither here or on itunes.
Please help!
Thanx
oh yeah! now it worked – thanx, guys
speaking of jake, i’ve had the misfortune of seeing him “perform” a few times during the past year at the usually family-friendly north texas indie promotion texoma pride wrestling. his “personal demons” are still very personal and demonic. the last time i saw him–which, coincidentally (?), was his last appearance–was back in january.
though he actually got into the ring and performed exactly one DDT at december’s show, his january appearance was limited to autograph signing and drunkenly stumbling to the microphone and then launching into an expletive-filled rant that was supposed to persuade us to pray for his mother, who was in the hospital.
thankfully, the combination of his drunken slurring and a mediocre sound system rendered his rant unintelligible to anybody who didn’t already have a good idea about what a person in his state would be saying. my six-year-old was shocked when she found out the next day that jake’s speech had been filled with “bad words.”
following his rant, he went back to the autograph table, signed autographs, and drew a silver mustache on a seven year old fan with a silver paint marker.
that kid’s parents are probably still trying to wash the mustache off.
the evening ended up being a bit of a “former WWF disaster” show, as matt borne also showed up to wrestle as doink–kinda. i mean, he didn’t have make-up or anything, but he had tights that kinda looked like a clown suit. he kinda had a wig, which he wore tied around his neck with a string. and he kinda wrestled.
actually, kinda is too generous when it comes to his wrestling. he somehow ended up in a mixed match with wrestler kyra maya, who he chased around the ring and slapped on the ass until he somehow managed to pin her.
if professional wrestling had an HR department he would’ve been brought in for a meeting and sent to a sensitivity training seminar if he wasn’t fired for being drunk first.
it was basically “beyond the mat II: the beyonding.”
That is a terrifying story and it’s unfortunate because we’ve become so desensitized that it’s not that shocking and we just shrug our shoulders and know it’ll happen again. I probably shouldn’t laugh at the silver mustache thing but it’s hard not to….
Another great episode guys. Your passion for wrestling mixed in with your comedic wit really makes this one of my favorite podcasts. I’d love for you guys to do an episode reviewing “Grunt: The Wrestling Movie”. It seems to be almost all but impossible to get your hands on a copy of it these days, though.
Is it as good as “Bodyslam” with Face from the A-Team?
Love the movie , saw it the night it came out in Virgina Beach , my girlfriend at the time was bored with no reaction until Jake and his daughter meet , I look over and she is crying her eyes out. So guys out there spin this as a chick flick , better than anything on Lifetime.
Sounds almost as good as my decision to take my now wife to see the movie “Kids” on like our fourth date in high school.
Congratulations, nay felicitations on your 75th episode! An achievement to be proud of.
3 quick points as I know my previous posts have been on the lengthy side.
1 – Beyond The Mat was truly fascinating and you chaps did it justice. Your comments about avoiding your kids creating a hatebook about you was priceless. And isnt hatebook a great name for a metal band.?
2 – Yes, yes, yes to a Grunt review! I saw that movie before WM 6 and was puzzled to say the least. The plot revolves around replacing the champ after the previous one was decapitated in the ring. And it had Adrian Street in it. As I couldn’t find it anywhere for years, I assumed it was merely the product of a fevered dream (because al the best dreams feature Adrian Street) but no, someone else knows of it! Thank goodness, perhaps now the voices will be a liitle bit quieter.
3 Should we really be hiding our wrestling fandom? It was embarrasing for a long while, then cool for a few stone cold months, then shameful again. We should unite and face down our doubters. A while ago in the UK, people used Twitter to name a celebrity who had been given a court injuction to keep his name from being connected with a scandal. They all used #IAmSpartacus as a show of solidarity. Perhaps we fans could do similar to pronounce our passion to the world? My suggestions would be:
#dustyfinish
#tommydreamersnuts
#katievicksboyfriend
#ShockmasterForPres
#itsHebnernotHeffner
#ZeusgotScrewed
Dammint,another long post. Sorry
#
I think Hatebook was a band recently mentioned on the news. I think I have a copy of Grunt, so we’ll see. Maybe episode #750?
I’ll probably get into this more on the next episode, but I’m not necessarily embarrassed, I just don’t want to deal with the lengthy explanations or working through the pre-conceived notions I know most people have regarding pro wrestling.
There is a death metal band from Nepal called Deathbook.
My trick for spotting wrestling fans is the opposite of the “mention Stone Cold approach”. I’d reference something slightly obscure with referring to wrestling. I drew out a very knowledgable fellow in Helsinki that way by whoooing and flashing the four fingers at a joke someone made. Another time it worked when I called a guy’s drink a “von Erich discus punch” at Los Angeles’ Rainbow. Not sure if it’s the best approach though since that is the only two occasions it actually worked. I guess that’s what I get for living in Denmark 🙂
Congratulations on the big 75, and staying on top of the wrestling podcast mountain. I haven’t commented in a long time, but you’re always booked when a new episode comes out.
Did Dre ever tell us what his favorite wrestling documentary is? I think I missed that part?
“Are you eating an apple?”
It’s gotta be Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows. That, or Vampiro: Angel, Devil, Hero.
Yes, yes, great show again! Though I’m sure Dennis Stamp is still holding out on listening to it until you guys finally act like decent friends and book him.
I haven’t confirmed this, but I think he was baiting us with that and intentionally left us hanging.
Dre and the Black Cat,
I, too, am a “closeted wrestling fan.” I tend not to bring up the fact I still follow professional wrestling unless I know full well that the person I’m talking to is serious about it and too watches the business.
For example, at work, there are two co-workers I talk to about wrestling because one of them wore a “Stone Cold” Steve Austin t-shirt to work one day and on a different day, wore a John Cena t-shirt to work. The other co-worker, I remember, discussed on a lunch break one Friday night that Santino Marella was defending his newly won United States Championship against Jack Swagger in a Steel Cage match on WWE Smackdown that night.
Since, us three have had some good old-school and current wrestling discussions, which I greatly enjoyed. If it wasn’t for that, I would be shy on answering them and others what I listen to at work for 2/3rds of my shift every day, if not more.
Anyways, I enjoyed this two-hour epic show tonight at work, working the “St. Cloud routes,” which became my “home while at work.” Thanks for the enjoyment, while being crabby and sweaty. Keep up the hard work.
Tell us about the grown man wearing the John Cena shirt.
He’s a fruity pebble, indeed. To my surprise, he has a girlfriend, so he doesn’t fit in the “prototype” of a John Cena fan. He even wore a Steve Austin t-shirt to work to, so he has a tint of bad-*** in him.
Both he and I joke around with one another and he always enjoys discussing old school rasslin’ with me. So thank you Black Cat and the awesome Dre for giving me more events to look up to discuss.
Ok, Dre, I’ll bite. What’s your favorite wrestling documentary?
I love Terry Funk’s “FOREVER!”
My favorite Jake Roberts line from Beyond the Mat: “What’s this on my jacket? Some chocolate or some sh*t.”
I also like “Jerome Young created New Jack. You see any knuckles here? You don’t, because they ain’t none.”
Can anyone shed some light as to what New Jack meant by chili sauce? I’m having a hard time believing Jook was entirely comfortable with New Jack’s liberal use the of the 6-letter R word in that show ending bit.
The jacket thing probably got the biggest chuckle from me in the whole movie.
And New Jack says what he wants to say. He’s New Jack.
First of all Me To!!
Second: This is also one of my favorite movies.
Third: Droz did actually “Puke” in the ring. His debut match was on Sunday night Heat against Chris Candido (Skip). He was when Skip was counted out after being puked on.
Great show keep up the good work guys. You are “Tits” (taking it back….LOL)
Hey guys,
Congrats on #75! I just recently moved to a new area of the country for school and so far I have hidden my love of professional wrestling. I can relate to being a closeted wrestling fan. However, if I have learned anything from the move and meeting new people it has been that there is only one way to disclose one’s love of professional wrestling. That being, never miss an opportunity to reference Stone Cold Steve Austin. Who doesn’t want to be reminded on the toughest SOB in WWF/E history strutting down the aisle in daisy duke jorts giving the bird to the entire arena?!?!. Mentioning Stone Cold brings joy to any social gathering and is a great way to make new friends. I’m starting slow and sticking with Austin for now. Maybe someday soon I’ll start a conversation about some of the more interesting heroes of my past like The Undertaker, HBK, Bret Hart, or Scott Hall….wow….those are my childhood heroes….why did my parents encourage my youthful obsession with pro wrestling? Anyways, keep up the good work. You have a fan for life.
P.S. I’d love to hear your take on ESPN’s E:60 that focused on Scott Hall’s struggle with addiction. For a (short) wrestling documentary I think it’s on the same field as Beyond The Mat.
I actually haven’t seen the Scott Hall thing and *technically* it would be up for review until like 2019 or 2020…10 years after it debuted.
And I like to reference DTA as much as possible at work.
Don’t Trust Nobody.
Me too
Vince is mental in that scene, my brother was obsessed with that puke scene for years.
More soon.
Awesome you’ve made it to 75!:)
Hey Guys! Awesome show, as per usual! I love downloading the podcast and seeing it’s a 2 hour show!! Maybe the next flick that you guys review can be “The Wrestler”. No, no, no. Not the one with Mickey Roarke, the one with Edward Asner and the late King Of Bland, Vern Gagne! Now that one’s a f-ing classic!! Thanks again for the time you guys put in for us!
BTW – You did pronounce my last name correctly, Mr. Dre. Nice job!!
The Wrestler is my favorite wrestling movie and is a must-review for me….
Congrats on 75 great episodes, guys! Both of you have yet to make an appearance in my HATEBOOK, thus far. That’s an impressive feat in itself.
I recommend “I Like To Hurt People” for those jonesing for another excellent wrestling documentary. It’s a kayfabe film, but it’s provides a great window into one of the late-70’s many thriving territories. It can be found on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCEMqPcH394
I’ve been meaning to watch that documentary. Thanks for the tip. I hope we never make that book.
Gentlemen, congrats on 75 episodes!
I’d also like to second The Wrestlerock Rumbler’s recommendation of “I Like To Hurt People”. Great, ’70s footage of the Funks, along with cool stuff from Dusty, Andre, The Canadian Wildman, The Sheik, Abby, Ox Baker, and Ernie Roth/The Grand Wizard/Abdullah Farouk. I’ve got an old VHS copy of this waiting to be transfered to DVD; happy to make dupes once I’m done transferring.
I think I might have access to a copy but thanks for the offer.
The Jake stuff is just sad. Refuse to believe it was a work. If he said it’s a work anywhere, it’s Orwellian doublethink as a form of self-protection.
Anyway, loved this show. Also love the idea that Dennis Stamp is talked about a lot on the “Old-Old school Wrestling Podcast”, like a show where they talk about Dory Funk Jr matches for 3 hours every week.
Seems like my last 4-5 posts on here, for whatever reason, never came up. Don’t think they even made it to “awaiting moderation”, so something must have gone wrong on my end. Shame cos I LOVED both the Yokozuna stuff and the Crusher Blackwell stuff. Dylan over on PWO is OBSESSED with Blackwell, probably the world’s number 1 Blackwell fan. Like this guy made a post over 10,000 words long about Blackwell’s record as a draw in the AWA. He’d love to get his hands on that mag, I’m sure.
Anyway, in one of those posts I mentioned that along with a dude from Atlanta and a dude from Pittsburgh, I’ve made my own little podcast focused on NWA/WCW shows starting from Starrcade 83 and moving forward: see Where the Big Boys Play on iTunes or click link above — they do say that imitation is the best form of flattery! My dream is to one day have you guys on this show (or do a joint show). Maybe if we ever reach Beach Blast 92, given that since your first show I’ve been requesting that one. Hey a man’s got to dream!
I claim to be the number 1 fan of The Old-school Wrestling Podcast in the UK, my sticker still going strong. Our little show is a bit dryer than “the mother ship”, no Dre doing Dusty impressions and whatnot, but thought I’d mention it … just think I’ve told YOU guys that I have done this podcast, before my own parents, or any of my friends or any other people I know. My sticker-hating wife knows, but obviously has zero interest.
You know how you said there’s some weird mental condition that wrestlers form … I reckon there’s also some weird mental condition that us wrestling fans form. Why are we still watching 20-year+ old shows? Why do we spend hours upon hours listening to you guys talk about them and then NOT TELL ANYONE? Think about the behaviour for a second, it’s abnormal.
I’ll respond to the rest, but all your comments get approved…not sure how they didn’t get through.
There’s definitely a problem on my end, think it might be a popup blocker or something, my post from my phone got through and the ones from my desktop these past few weeks didn’t. I forgot to post the link:
http://jerryvonkramer.ipage.com/podcast/where-the-big-boys-play/
Also, suggestions for twitter solidarity:
#1-2-hegothimNoooooooooooo
#Unbelievable
#rightinthebreadbasket
#rightinthekisser
#hesplayinpossum
#willyoustop
#jampackedtotherafters
#ifyawill
#theirresistableforcehasmettheimmovableobject
#givemeabreak
#backdropandabeauty
Me too. It didn’t help that my parents would always make it clear to me that, “It isn’t real, you know,” as if I didn’t already know. I always felt a little guilty.
After a long hiatus, my wife and I started watching again and we still love it. Recently, we visited my parents and watched Raw. My father walked by and said, “You know, it isn’t real.”
So, yes, me too.