WELCOME TO RAW IS...Oh, sorry habit, TALK IS JERRRIIICHO!

[SomethingSavage]

The interview with Taz was pretty good. It's a shorter conversation, but I dug it. Loved Taz's episode on the Steve Austin podcast wayyy back in the early days of that show, so I figured I'd enjoy this one enough.

Taz sounds like a really humble and grateful guy these days. He even talks about shooting e-mails(!) to Vinnie Mac and Heyman to personally thank them whenever he was offered the radio show deal a few years back. Very cool.

I won't even lie either. I'm a big fan of Taz's early run on commentary with Cole. I thought their chemistry was tremendous and greatly preferred them over JR and Lawler at that particular point. I realize a lot of fans shit on Taz's commentary, but I ain't hearing that noise. His early shit throughout that Smackdown Six era was fantastic. He brought genuine analysis and logic to the tactics and in-ring actions of competitors. He put over Kurt, Benoit, Brock, and Eddie like his life depended on it for awhile there. I also thought he was instrumental in helping to establish Cena as more legitimate threat than comedic relief in that early stage of the rapper gimmick.

The wheels kind of came off later, but Taz talks about being beaten down by the grind and the constant criticism in the headphones. The story of him and Cole just sitting out in the parking lot before a show, just dreading the thought of going inside and broadcasting, sort of puts the process in perspective.

Taz also talks about how Tyson was a big influence and motivation for his character change from the Tazmaniac to MMA Taz. That may be a commonly known thing for all I know, but this was the first time I've heard that. If you take a step back and look at it though, it totally makes sense.

Far from the best Jericho episode, but it was solid enough. And it's only a little over an hour, so it's a quick listen.

Also checked out the Meltzer on Meltzer episode. It was okay, I guess. I think I was expecting more in-depth discussion about Dave's background or something. I don't know. It would probably be pretty fascinating for someone who was hearing it all for the first time, but it was mostly just stuff Dave has already discussed elsewhere.

[Johnny Sorrow]

6 hours ago, SomethingSavage said:

The interview with Taz was pretty good. It's a shorter conversation, but I dug it. Loved Taz's episode on the Steve Austin podcast wayyy back in the early days of that show, so I figured I'd enjoy this one enough.

Taz sounds like a really humble and grateful guy these days. He even talks about shooting e-mails(!) to Vinnie Mac and Heyman to personally thank them whenever he was offered the radio show deal a few years back. Very cool.

I won't even lie either. I'm a big fan of Taz's early run on commentary with Cole. I thought their chemistry was tremendous and greatly preferred them over JR and Lawler at that particular point. I realize a lot of fans shit on Taz's commentary, but I ain't hearing that noise. His early shit throughout that Smackdown Six era was fantastic. He brought genuine analysis and logic to the tactics and in-ring actions of competitors. He put over Kurt, Benoit, Brock, and Eddie like his life depended on it for awhile there. I also thought he was instrumental in helping to establish Cena as more legitimate threat than comedic relief in that early stage of the rapper gimmick.

The wheels kind of came off later, but Taz talks about being beaten down by the grind and the constant criticism in the headphones. The story of him and Cole just sitting out in the parking lot before a show, just dreading the thought of going inside and broadcasting, sort of puts the process in perspective.

Taz also talks about how Tyson was a big influence and motivation for his character change from the Tazmaniac to MMA Taz. That may be a commonly known thing for all I know, but this was the first time I've heard that. If you take a step back and look at it though, it totally makes sense.

Far from the best Jericho episode, but it was solid enough. And it's only a little over an hour, so it's a quick listen.

Also checked out the Meltzer on Meltzer episode. It was okay, I guess. I think I was expecting more in-depth discussion about Dave's background or something. I don't know. It would probably be pretty fascinating for someone who was hearing it all for the first time, but it was mostly just stuff Dave has already discussed elsewhere.

I rather enjoyed the Dave one myself. It was amazingly humanizing. Twitter Dave isn't the real Dave, and this show showed that well. 

And thanks for the cool recap of the Taz one. Half of what I do for a living is driving, and I appreciate a recap that helps me plan what I'm going to listen in the truck.

[SomethingSavage]

No problem, man. I've actually been having a blast going back and shuffling through all these shows I've missed. I was recently promoted, but it came with a longer commute - so it gives me ample time to knock out a bunch of these throughout the work week.

There's another little gem in the Taz conversation about his spontaneous "audition" on commentary and how, looking back now, he feels Vince already knew he was winding down and wanted some way to transition Taz into the role. The program with Lawler was apparently the avenue to get there, because Vince sent Taz out there to replace King for a single segment - and then just left him out there for the majority of the show. It's a fun little story that speaks to Taz's strengths as a talker AND Vince's way of approaching people & dealing with the individuals differently.

I was surprised by how upfront Taz was about his own weak points as a worker - particularly saying that he was never great at selling, and so he was doomed whenever Vince wanted him to play the plucky, fiery underdog who built to big comebacks. You really get a sense that he appreciated both how Paul protected him and the campaign to keep an aura around him in ECW.

Regarding the Dave bit, you're absolutely right about it feeling refreshingly humanizing. Nothing illustrates that idea more than Meltzer explaining why he rates Okada matches so highly, by basically admitting that he probably just prefers the current New Japan style of wrestling more than any other in history. It's something everyone & their cousin has said on podcasts and message boards, sure. But it was refreshing to hear Dave basically get out in front and say it himself. Sure beats the back & forth trolling routine.

[The Thread Killer]

I didn't mind his interview, but I never realized until listening to him on Jericho's podcast how much Meltzer kind of sounds like he's hopped up on speed a lot of the time.  I probably would have clued into that earlier if I listened to WOL more than just YouTube clips...but that would involve listening to Bryan Alverez and I'm just not going to do that.

[SomethingSavage]

Well, listening to Jericho and Stone Cold shoot the shit & just chop it up about music was a metric ton of fun. Felt like kicking back & hearing two guys have a casual conversation. Very cool.

I never would've pegged Austin as such a huge MJ fan. I popped for that, especially when he went back to it and reiterated it a few more times, and I was actually hoping he'd rank his top favorite Michael tunes or something.

Funny how Jericho forgot that the Disturbed remix of Austin's theme was even a thing.

I've never read any of Jericho's books, so I had no idea he tried to change up his ring music a couple of times. I mean, I knew about the shitty Saliva track from Survivor Series in MSG, and they've made some small alterations to the original here & there. But the deal with Zakk Wylde and then Sevenfold's "Nightmare" was all news to me. As cool as some of that could've been, I'm sort of inclined to agree with Vince on the matter. "Break the Walls Down" is a perfect fit.

[SomethingSavage]

Continuing through the grab bag of past shows, I've come to the Daniel Bryan episode from earlier this year. Pretty solid stuff.

I never realized Vince reached out to Jericho as a backup plan if Shane wasn't cleared in time for Mania. It makes sense, but hearing how Vince proposed the idea of secretly transporting Chris from the Fozzy gig to Mania was fucking tremendous.

I'm somewhat surprised to hear confirmation from Bryan about how it's now a "thing" for them to work the boys & deliberately hide information from them, in order to avoid spoilers or secrets leaking out. For a company that seems so radically OCD about scripts & running such a tight ship, it just seems so strange that they'd prefer to have Jericho show up for shock value and proceed to work an impromptu match that doesn't adhere to a strict layout.

It did crack me up to hear Jericho proclaim that Sami Zayn would lose his shit if he had to call a match entirely in the ring like that though. Is he supposedly a stickler for details like a Page or Savage? Because I've never heard that before.

I heard Bryan on Edge and Christian's podcast awhile back - before he was cleared to return. It was almost uncomfortable, with Edge basically trying to talk him off a ledge and convince Bryan to stay retired if that's the hand he's dealt. All the while, Bryan would half-heartedly agree - but then turn around and quickly resume discussion about collecting masks and eventually losing his hair with a big payoff angle in Mexico.

Don't get me wrong. That sounds cool as shit. But it's just awesome that things have turned around for him now that he's back in the mix. I'm stoked to have him back in any capacity, even if it's not the kind of angles he was fantasy booking himself into during his time away.

It *was* funny to hear Bryan lay out this scenario where he fantasized about randomly showing up in New Japan to create a buzz for a big time match or something (if he would have to explore other options outside of WWE to continue to wrestle) - only to point out that Jericho basically stole his thunder and already did that with Omega. Good stuff there.

It's always cool to hear him geek out for older lucha and Lawler footage, too. It allows some of us the chance to breathe a deep sigh of relief and remain optimistic that he'll continue to employ this safer style for the foreseeable future.

 

[SomethingSavage]

Not sure why I skipped it way back when it originally came out, but the Haku episode is tremendous. Fun, fun, fucking FUN all the way through.

Haku is a witty, charming, upbeat conversationalist from start to finish. The discussion on sumo culture was all kinds of awesome, too.

[flyonthewall2983]

I'm kind of getting back into the show now. Interested to hear both the 83 Weeks episode on him and his rebuttal to Conrad. 

Not a wrestler, but I'd really like to hear him interview Mike Portnoy one on one. He's been on a few times before but in different contexts, but a straight-up conversation between the two would be great. I've not really enjoyed the times Chris talked to musicians but he's friends with Portnoy and I think it could break through some of the problems he had before with people he probably just met before interviewing them.

[SomethingSavage]

Just last Thursday, I listened to Jericho's "Marvel vs. DC" comics episode. It was short but still enjoyable enough. Jericho is a lapsed fan (like myself), but you could tell comics were still a big part of his childhood (again, like myself).

But the only reason I'm really even bringing it up is because the person Jericho's interviewing brings up Steve Ditko at one point. He tells Chris that Ditko is *the* guy he needs to reach out to & get on his podcast.

...

R.I.P. Steve Ditko, co-creator of my first favorite superhero & illustrator of many iconic moments.

[SomethingSavage]

Bruce Prichard was on one of the newer episodes, so I gave it a listen during my drive to & from work.

It was refreshing to hear Bruce in a different setting. I'm still a fan of Something To Wrestle - flaws & all - but Jericho is such a great, natural conversationalist on this show. He really is a chameleon in the host role, blending in with whatever the backdrop or guest requires.

Prichard largely retreads over some of his greatest hits as talking points, so there's not a lot of new information or anything. But it's still a really fun, breezy back & forth conversation. Jericho is a sponge and never acts like a know-it-all. In fact, he openly admits when he doesn't know something in wrestling history - like when he asks Bruce what wrestling company Houston was, not fully understanding it was a town and not a territory. But Jericho is always engaged and eager to discover new shit, which serves the listeners so well.

The story of Gene Snitsky seeking advice from Jericho was funny. Evidently, Snitsky was unhappy about how he was being used. So Jericho suggested he talk to Vince to sort it out. Snitsky did, and Vince promptly gave him a full release. Tremendous.

Jericho also reminisces about the night Hulk Hogan lost the WWF Championship for the first time. Chris remembers exactly where he was & what he was doing (working his job at a deli) when he first heard that Hogan had lost the belt. It's just a great little nugget of a story, but the real joy is in how Jericho tells it. These personal tales are a big part of what you want out of a pro wrestling podcast.

Going back to Bruce though, he's equally enjoyable when he's talking about Houston wrestling. You can hear it in his voice when he brings up Gino Hernandez. And the way he recalls the week-to-week booking decisions from that period is just awesome. You can clearly tell the guy grew up loving that shit.

As easy it is for Bruce to heel it up as the WWF apologist on his own show, he just as easily babyfaced himself big time here. Fun stories. Fun show.

[BigBadMick]

That's a good point about Jericho admitting that he doesn't know everything about wrestling. He seems to enjoy being in wrestling, but his other interests have enabled him to keep a healthy distance and sense of perspective.

[SomethingSavage]

Still working my way through the older episodes that I haven't heard before. I decided to bite the bullet and give the Disco Inferno episode a listen. And holy shit. It was surprisingly enjoyable all the way through. I've gone out of my way to avoid Disco on podcasts before, after hearing him a few times with Konnan, Court, etc. back in the day in MLW radio. He just annoyed the shit out of me & seemed to hold the dirt worst opinions on... Well, almost everything.

But he was a total blast here. It's a great, breezy back & forth conversation with Jericho. There's a fun story about a house show match they had back in WCW. There's Yuji Nagata whispering to Jericho that one chop to the throat would shut up Disco, which they have a laugh about.

There's also Disco explaining how he got the rep for having these all-time terrible booking ideas. And, whether you believe this version or not, it *does* make sense that he'd get bored in these booking meetings and basically just come up with crazy shit to fill time/pop his friends.

For what it's worth, Disco does actually come across as a fairly smart guy. I honestly never understood it when I heard guys like Jericho, Sullivan, Raven, etc. mention him as a smart mind in the past. But I can sort of see it now.

Disco makes a point that the most successful and durable characters in pro wrestling have traits that fans can imitate, and - while it seems like an obvious thing - it's not something you really hear stressed by anyone. Disco knows his limitations and openly admits he's not a moves guy. But I actually think he's surprisingly clever when it comes to gimmicks and character work.

I'm glad I gave this one a shot. Since last year, I've been listening to more & more podcasts - to fill my drive time, gym sessions, meal preps, and just general day-to-day bullshit. And, while I still feel like the Jinder Mahal episode was the most surprising hidden gem I've heard, this one wasn't too far behind. I've literally never enjoyed Disco Inferno on a podcast before, but this one was well worth hearing.

[SomethingSavage]

Still burning through older eps. Today, I came across a year old episode with Drew McIntyre - from back when he was NXT Champ. It was pretty good.

Drew compared moving from OVW to FCW as going from black & white to color. I'm not sure if he's just referencing Kentucky and Florida, or if it's something else there. Kind of wish he would've elaborated a bit more.

It's crazy to think he ended up on Smackdown three weeks after being signed. Drew claims the ref was telling him to work the hard cam, and there he is - The Chosen One, in his first TV match - wondering what the fuck a "hard cam" is.

Jericho shits pretty hard on his own co-Intercontinental Champion days with Chyna, putting it on the same level as 3MB in terms of terrible ideas. Drew chimes in that he enjoyed the co-IC angle. Jericho? "Well, you did. I didn't!"

It was cool to hear how good of friends Drew is with Jinder, too. I knew I had seen pics of them hanging out and shit back in the day, but Drew seemed genuinely excited for his friend's new success.

He & Jericho also have some fun busting Slater's balls about being the only (yet least likely) member of 3MB that wasn't released. "Now get jacked and get you a title." Good stuff.

[Beast]

Finally listened to the show with Conrad as a rebuttal to Bischoff's episode on Jericho.

Really good stuff. Conrad and Jericho have good chemistry and it's refreshing to hear that when they go back and forth over details and opinions, both guys come off as truthful. Like there's a moment where Jericho calls out Bischoff for drinking with the boys in WCW and how Vince would never do that, and Conrad brings up the famous stories of Vince partying in WWF. Jericho doesn't deny it, but he does try to put the differences in context and it ends up being an interesting conversation.

In contrast, Bruce and Bischoff are so focused on either playing a character or looking good that when Conrad calls out possible BS, it turns into a no, yes, no, yes circle. Hopefully Bruce will eventually do a show on Jericho as well and we can get Conrad doing a WWE ep with Jericho.

I'm sure Jericho has his agenda and certain things are spun, but it certainly feels more legit and it's easy to believe him since he and Conrad seem to respect each other a ton.

[SomethingSavage]

Yeah, both that episode and the original 83 Weeks pod were a lot of fun.

Jericho might be another guy like Taker or Shawn, in that I could see him getting his WWE career broken down into separate years and reviewed that way. It would allow for deeper dives, and Jericho's reinvented himself & his character enough times to warrant that sort of retrospective anyway.

[SomethingSavage]

Dug deep & went back a year and a half to catch the Norman Smiley interview. Awesome stuff. Lots of laughs.

Fun conversation - including stories about 5 guys pulling guns on Norman and Konnan over a fanny pack full of money, Super Porky sticking a beer bottle up somebody's ass in the shower as casually as he'd comb his hair, the dirty & disgusting bathrooms in Mexico, and bowling with Haku.

It was cool to hear Norman's take on coaching at the PC, too. "It's not a crime to be green. If you don't know something, just ask." Great quote.

Crazy to hear how he's had trainees come in not knowing that it takes a 3 count to end a match, and some girls literally not knowing you have to be on your back to be pinned. That's nuts.

[SomethingSavage]

The new episode with Mark Henry discussing Madison Square Garden is a fucking blast.

Mark tells a crazy story from back in his Nation days. Apparently, fans saw Rocky getting picked up by Mark and D'Lo. Next thing ya know - the window shatters, fans have swarmed the car, and they literally total this Lincoln town car with their hands! The hood is so beat up that the carburetor is damaged, and they barely make it to the airport in this beat up rental. Wild shit.

Jericho also tells a fun story about his 2008 run, where he's stuck in an elevator with this insistent father & kid. Jericho is such a stickler for keeping kayfabe & staying in character at this time, which is great.

Both guys recount some funny fuck-ups from their respective MSG debuts, too.

They talk a bit about the MSG fans. D'Lo is pelted in the face by a piece of pizza. When King Haku was announced as being from the island of Tonga, a fan audibly shouts, "That ain't no islander! He's just another n----r from the Bronx!" And Jericho remembers a fan heckling him about his love handles and throwing him off his game, which is hilarious.

Really fun conversation.

[SomethingSavage]

Super fun stories & stuff in Jericho's interview with Cody & the Bucks.

Jericho says he told Vince about All In four or five months ago - the date, the venue, the idea to sell out, etc.

Vince's reaction? Something along the lines of, "Hmph. Well I wish they would've called me. I could have told them that it's so difficult to draw during that time of year."

And then they proceed to sell out in 30 minutes. It's crazy. I know people can pick apart the hows & whys regarding it being an act of defiance from fans, a giant crowd-sourcing support gesture from fans, or whatever. But they still did what they set out to do, and it's pretty cool - all things considered.

[SomethingSavage]

Also thought they kept saying, "Bacardi Sweat" as the brand of sports drink from Japan. Had to Google it, because I had to lay eyes on this thing.

"Pocari Sweat" though. Hilariously horrible name. Reminds me of the "Booty Sweat" energy drink from Tropic Thunder.

[SomethingSavage]

I was somewhat surprised by all the Hogan praise toward the end of that interview with Cody & the Bucks. Very cool though.

I mean, I knew all those guys were marks for the Monday Night Wars and stuff. But I wasn't expecting to hear them say Hulk Hogan was the best ever in-ring wrestler, AND Hogan versus Rock was the all-time favorite match all three have ever seen. But it kind of makes sense in a lot of ways.

Like I said though, it's a fun conversation and a cool chance to hear about all the legwork that went into All In.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

The Bucks are massive Hogan fans.

[SomethingSavage]

I had to pause around the halfway mark for now, but the new episode with Conrad Thompson - covering Jericho's WWF debut - is another fun conversation. I really do hope they continue to explore various eras of Jericho'a career like Chris proposed here. They have good chemistry together, and Jericho's career is rich with potentially intriguing talking points.

They revisit the infamous brownie story from Vince's house, and I absolutely love it. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing how Vince locks eyes with Chris and offers him a second brownie, like some sort of mindfuck or mental chess game.

"Surely two gentlemen should be able to enjoy two brownies..." Such a surreal fucking scene that Chris still can't figure out or wrap his head around. Tremendous.

Chris showing up for his meeting with Vince, only to realize it's a full-blown booking meeting going on, is great. Not knowing how to react when he's asked, "What do you think about that finish for the D'Lo Brown match, pal?" is another fucking gem.

I was surprised when Jericho brought up the problems he's had with the pay structure. I haven't read any of his books, so it's all news to me when he mentions his Undisputed Title win at Vengeance being a "small, shitty little payoff."

And then he only got 1/5th of the main event money for Mania 18, while Hunter got the other 4/5ths? Ouch.

I'll get back to this one later & finish it up, but it's already recommended listening.

[SomethingSavage]

Okay, yeah. Jericho is tremendous here - shitting on WWE payoffs all the way up to his JeriKO run, voicing how they need to bring back vignettes, stressing character building & anticipation over in-ring matches ("Matches don't matter"), and on & on. I loved this.

If only he'd gone all the way and called out Seth Rollins for being a shitty worker, he'd practically be my spirit animal right now.

Jericho also basically breaks down every step of his debut - taking you on the full ride down the conveyer belt of WWF creative services in 1999. It's pretty damn cool.

He also talks about the lifts, his insecurities about entering the land of the giants, and why he got off to a rotten start there. Good stuff.

Something that comes through loud & clear is Jericho's commitment to getting himself over - at all times, at all costs, wherever he went. Dude's a hustler through & through. I realize people shit on him for letting his ambition override his actual athletic ability at times, but the guy's hustle is extremely admirable. He never stops thinking about ways to get over & stay over.

If you can't tell, I enjoyed this one a lot. Here's hoping they really do continue through the rest of his career this way.

[The Thread Killer]

Did anybody else listen to Jericho's interview with Ricky Steamboat from last week's show?  It was recorded on that cruise that Jericho hosted a few weeks ago.  I enjoyed it quite a bit. Nothing groundbreaking, but I had no idea Steamboat wasn't a fan of Dusty - or of how Dusty was booking him in JCP, at least - and that's why he left and went to the WWF. It was fun hearing Jericho gush about Steamboat and I always think it's nice when guys as big as Jericho don't mind admitting what big fans they were and who influenced them.

I am curious to see if the live interview he did with Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler on the cruise will end up being broadcast on his show at a later date as well.

[SomethingSavage]

I've grown to REALLY appreciate Jericho as a host over the past year. Guy's a fucking chameleon, regularly allowing his guests to steer the conversations and the flows of his interviews. He's also got a relatable story for almost any/every situation imaginable.

Austin, enjoyable enough in his own right, is a total contrast to that style though. Steve often overtakes the room and derails things by shoving his shit into any/every conversation. In one deep breath, he'll quickly rattle off something about forklifts, the docks, Dallas, Frogman Leblanc, and Memphis - regardless of what's being talked about. He always sounds super caffeinated and Alpha Brained out of his gourd.

And don't get me wrong. Austin's show has its charms, especially when you hear the fucking ICON himself chopping it up about which PWG or BEYOND matches he's been watching. But it's just two very distinct styles, and I honestly feel like Jericho has the superior show with all things considered.