Most common lies in shoot interviews

[El-P]

Yeah, those damn wrestlers lie their ass off all the time, especially when talking about the good ol'days when they were selling out everywhere and going sixty every night. So there it goes.

[khawk20]

"I had the idea for the first ____ match".

[JerryvonKramer]

My favourite of all wrestling lies is Manny Fernandez's claim that his match vs. Abdullah was primarily responsible for selling out The Omni for Starrcade 85.

 

A newcomer though is Don Kernodle's "There were 20,000 people who couldn't get in" claim for the Final Conflict.

 

Most common: "I created hardcore wrestling"

[Johnny Sorrow]

"We wrestled every night and twice on Saturday".

 

Edit: I LOVE Manny's Abby Starrcade match one. It's so insanely ridiculous that it's great. You forgot the part where he says people left in droves after the match.

[El Boricua]

"I was going to win / was promised _____ title".

 

To be fair, some of those guys were likely led on by the bookers.

[khawk20]

"I was going to win / was promised _____ title".

 

To be fair, some of those guys were likely led on by the bookers.

I was going to put this one in and didn't because of the same thing you said. Damn bookers.

[Matt D]

Manny's whole shoot is awesome for how carny it is.

[Marty]

"I had over 2,000 matches with (insert name here)."

[BrickHithouse]

I invented the Stone Cold character

 

or

 

I was doing "Stone Cold" before Stone Cold was Stone Cold

[Bix]

I was doing flips before the Mexicans.

[jdw]

Anything relating to attendance. "We packed the place." "We sold out three straight matches." 'Business went in the tank after they took the title off me." Etc.

 

In another 10 years, it will be about Ratings.

[The Chief]

I invented the Stone Cold character

 

or

 

I was doing "Stone Cold" before Stone Cold was Stone Cold

And there's also "I knew Stone Cold was going to be a star before anyone else saw it"

[Death From Above]

"The fans in Japan don't cheer for things."

[Death From Above]

Also I'm not sure I've ever seen a shoot discussing pre-Wrestlemania 1 era wrestling that hasn't included at least one story about a riot in a wrestling arena.

[clintthecrippler]

"I was there the night __________ died."

 

"I never refused to job to anyone."

[JazeUSA]

I would have happily did good business & put over ''insert random worker name here'' but the booker changed things, ''I didn't have anything to do w/ that''

 

I've NEVER refused to put anyone over in this business!

[Happ Hazzard]

Harley Race claimed that his match with JYD was one of the 3 main events at WrestleMania 3.

[JerryvonKramer]

Harley Race claimed that his match with JYD was one of the 3 main events at WrestleMania 3.

To be fair to him that's one match that legit would have been "main event anywhere in the country".

[thebrainfollower]

I can't think of any WWF house shows JYD-Race headlined, unless you want to count the 6 man elimination matches.

 

I have a broader question, do wrestlers do this out of massive insecurity or simply because they've lived a carnival lifestyle for so long they have no idea where the lies begin and reality ends?

 

I mean someone like Hogan who constantly exaggerates his deeds. Which would be fine and good if he were say Sam Houston and had a massive insecurity complex. But he's arguably the most famous wrestler of all time, why the hell does he find the need to add a few hundred pounds to Andre's weight for instance? Does he even know he's lying anymore? And if not, does that make the shoot interview, for all its BS, the best insight into the mind of a wrestler we are ever likely to get.

[ohtani's jacket]

But he's arguably the most famous wrestler of all time, why the hell does he find the need to add a few hundred pounds to Andre's weight for instance?

The same reason the one that got away gets bigger every time the story is told? A lot of this is human nature as much as it is carny bullshit, it's just that wrestlers spend a lifetime cutting promos so it runs off the tongue a bit easier than retired sports stars who think everything was better in their day. It's as much a hang up for wrestling fans who get annoyed at factual incorrect information than it is some kind of psychological disorder.

[JerryvonKramer]

I'm going to shoot you a PM recommending some books on this brainfollower.

 

And yeah thinking about it I guess 87 is a bit late for Race-JYD.

[Marty]

Harley Race claimed that his match with JYD was one of the 3 main events at WrestleMania 3.

To be fair to him that's one match that legit would have been "main event anywhere in the country".

 

I don't know about "main event", but it was one of the four (if memory serves) that got a video package/preview before the match itself happened (Hulk-Andre, JYD-Race, Steamer-Savage, Piper-Adonis). Not the oddest claim I've seen.

[Sidebottom]

I invented....

 

I was the first....

[El-P]

The thing that cracks me up is that *every* wrestler ever interviewed in a shoot said something to the effect of "those young guys don't know what they are doing, they just do spots, they have no psychology.", even people like Maria Kanellis or Billy Gunn.

[Bix]

Billy Gunn is purportedly an amazing teacher, FWIW.