[1990-01-19-NWA-Power Hour] Funk's Grill: Cactus Jack

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Well, how's this for a piece of trivia? Cactus seems really nervous and doesn't know which camera to look into. I wouldn't have pegged him a promo guy at this point. It's amazing how he got so much better by the time he returned to the promotion in '91. I'm not sure what experience he would have really had that would have made him so much better during that time, but yeah, Terry has to carry him through this one.

 

Cactus would rather hurt a man than love a woman, and onions taste a little like owl. He sounds awfully young.

[PeteF3]

He's also trying to affect a vaguely southern/western accent to cover up his New Yorkness, and that isn't helping. This is awkward as hell, and at times that actually enhances Cactus' supposed craziness and other times it really detracts.

[Kevin Ridge]

You can tell he's not got the promo ability down yet but the whole wackiness of the delivery and not looking at the camera adds to the charm of the character. Cactus is wearing just a vest and showing off his chest. Probably not something we will see too much on further yearbooks.

[soup23]

I was a alarmed at how Austin sounded but this was even more jolting as cactus sounds totally different and like a 12 year old in a Christmas church play getting stage fright. Still neat to see him and Funk interacting this early on and Funk does a decent job getting over the danger of Cactus' character.

[Cox]

Yeah, Cactus will come a long way from this promo for sure. Within five years, he will be one of the best stickmen in the business, but he's far from that point here. He seems to be going for weird and goofy rather than threatening, and I think when he realizes that being dangerous is better for his career than being strange, things will fall into place for him. Per his book, that happens after he leaves the NWA later in the year, so the timeline fits what Loss says about him getting better between NWA/WCW stints.

[JerryvonKramer]

All I've got to say is "awwww". You can just imagine what was going through his mind here, standing there with one of his heroes trying to get his character over.

 

Just goes to show though that it takes time to hone these skills. It's remarkable that Cactus goes from this to what we see in 92.

[Laney]

This is bizarre to watch when you see how great Cactus becomes later. Cactus just looks nervous here and is faking a Southern accent. Cactus is also not wearing a shirt here, which is strange to see, and he says that onions taste like owl. Really strange, but interesting to watch in retrospect.

[bradhindsight]

I don't think it was as much Cactus looking at the wrong camera as it was the director failing to flip to the correct one when each guy was talking.

 

You can see the seeds here for a great promo guy. He's definitely a bit green but I think I would have really liked him back in 1990.

[cheapshot]

I heard about his early promos in the NWA being weak, and I agree, he was very green but if I watched NWA in 1990 I'd still think I'd be a fan of his because he stands out as different. I didn't really understand the wacky promo about owls tasting like onions or vice versa.

[garretta]

Yes, Terry has to carry Mick here, but there's enough so we can see the seeds of future greatness. All he needs is experience, and he'll be getting that soon enough both in the ring and on the stick. He already sounds like a dangerous hombre that no sane man would want to mess with, particularly a tag team partner. The best is definitely to come.

[Johnny Guitar]

Strange to see Foley so nervous here, but it works to some degree as he does give of the vibe as someone who's nuts. Funk's facial expressions in this are great.

[drew wardlaw]

The calmness of these Funk's Grill segments is startling. So after this run in NWA, Foley went to UWF correct? Has he ever talked about this period before and what he did to improve so much between 90-91?

[PeteF3]

Wasn't that the time he met Colette, who called him out for acting like a goof and giving too much to his opponent?

[drew wardlaw]

Oh yeah that would make sense, the timeline is right.

[GSR]

There have been some dodgy fashion statements already in this set and now we have Cactus in his denim jacket with the sleeves cut off! He feels good because he is in the NWA and he's got his priorities in order. Funk wonder what those are and Cactus responds that a lot of people come into wrestling with their priorities cloudy, but he has no room in his life for fancy cars or women, he'd rather hurt a man than love a woman and that's why he's in the NWA. When Funk asks him about money he says that it isn't really that important to him, leading Funk to think that he might be just the person to be foreman at the Double Cross Ranch! He says how Cactus has been having trouble with his partners and hasn't yet found one that is compatible with him. Cactus says that when he came to the NWA he came with a reputation, but was given a selection of partners that couldn't shine his shoes. He's a trusting guy, so when they told him they were good he believed them, but that wasn't the case. If you don't tell Cactus Jack the truth, you end up with the consequences!

 

Cactus came across pretty nervous here and appeared to be looking at the wrong camera half the time. I enjoyed the interaction between Funk and Cactus, although you could sense that the Funker was walking him through the interview. The second time that a Funk's Grill segment has just ended abruptly mind.

[Stiva]

Foley did have quite a few supporters of his in WCW at the time, except everyone that mattered, I suppose. This is a nice little look at baby Foley but Terry Funk's asides to the camera are what make these segments awesome. You can tell he was a huge Laurel and Hardy fan since the exasperated looks are pure Oliver Hardy.

[cactus]

Foley sounds so young here. He's more disturbed than the full-on psychopath that we all know and love. Funk and Foley's great chemistry is apparent, even here.