evilclown Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 What would you ask the Million Dollar Man? Time will probably be short, so I'm looking for a topic or three he could really knock out of the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 This is an elaborate trap for Parv, right? Oh just ask him for good Sid stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 This is an elaborate trap for Parv, right? This was my first thought. Like leaving a picnic basket out for Yogi Bear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dooley Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Getting his perspective on his '88 run would be interesting. Was he promised the belt, when did plans change, what was he told, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Do we need more elaboration of the Honky Tonk/Macho issue that apparently cost him the title? I know there was some real dissection of that here recently and why it was factually unlikely that he was ever in line for the title. I don't have time to track it down now though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dooley Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Do we need more elaboration of the Honky Tonk/Macho issue that apparently cost him the title? I know there was some real dissection of that here recently and why it was factually unlikely that he was ever in line for the title. I don't have time to track it down now though. Be nice to hear it from Ted's mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Give me a few hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Here's some to pick from. His WWF and Mid-South periods have been done to death, so some of the earlier stuff would be of real interest, especially the 79 WWF run, GCW and St. Louis. Ted has a habit of giving the same stock answers in every interview, so it would be cool to ask him some of the questions about the real nitty gritty specifics. Please don't ask him about God or his son or the interview will blow. - In your training, what would you say were the key things you learned from Dory Funk Jr and Terry Funk respectively? - In your view, who was the better worker out of the two of them and why? - When you got the call to work in St. Louis in 1978, did you feel like you'd "made it"? - How did working for Sam Muchnick in St. Louis compare with working for other promoters? - How did your 1979 stint with the WWF come about? - What was it like working with Vince Sr? Did he have any specific plans for you? - What can you tell us about the different personalities in WWF at that time? Was it difficult or easy to go into that locker room? - Thoughts on Pat Patterson as a worker? - When did you first decide to work in Georgia? And how much was the exposure granted by TBS a factor in you working there? - In the period from 1982 to 1984 your schedule seemed pretty hectic: from records it seems like you were working tours for All Japan, regular dates for Georgia Championship Wrestling, monthly dates for St. Louis and still working for Bill Watts at the same time. How did all of that work? Was it difficult to juggle? - How did you keep up with the travel during this period? And how demanding was that schedule compared with the schedule you were working in WWF in the late 1980s? - You were part of some very memorable angles and feuds during your time in Georgia and Mid-South. What would you say were your favourite ones? - What was going through your mind on the nights you had to work with JYD? How does working with a guy like JYD differ from working with someone like, for example, Terry Taylor? - When you were working with Magnum TA in 1984, did you think he was going to be a big star when you put him over? - You started your career as a firey babyface, then worked for a long time as an arrogant heel. Which do you think came more naturally to you? Is it easier to work as one or the other? - Was there any chance at all that you would have worked for the NWA in 1987 or were you ALWAYS going to the WWF? If Crockett had promised you the world title would you have taken that over the Million Dollar Man character? - Do you ever regret not working for JCP? - Did Vince ever promise you the world title in 1988? Do you wish you could have had a run? - When you first arrived at WWF, did anyone tell you that you had to alter your style in the ring at all? How much "direction" were you given in your matches? - Memories of Randy Savage? What was the best match you had with Savage do you think? - Memories of Andre and Hogan? Do you see those guys as good workers? - How much had Hogan changed as a person from 1979 when you worked with him at MSG to the guy you saw in 1988? - After the feud with Savage, you transitioned to a feud with Hercules. Did you think to yourself that you were being de-pushed? - At Royal Rumble 89, you had a nice angle buying the number #30 draw from Slick. But Big John Studd ended up winning it. Do you think that was a mistake? Would it have been better for you to win that Rumble? - Did you ever feel that the WWF didn't push its top heels enough? - What was going on with your push in 1989? It seems like a period without a lot of direction for the character. Did you ever bring this up with Vince or the office? - What are your memories of working on the classic "Million Dollar Man" entrance theme? You sing the vocals! - What are your thoughts on Virgil as a worker? Did you enjoy working with him? - You started feuding with Dusty Rhodes in late 1990, what was he like at that time? - He put you over clean at Royal Rumble 1991, how did it feel to be one of the few men to pin Dusty clean? Was he reluctant to do it? - How did you think things were going in 1991 in general? - Thoughts on Mike Rotunda / Money Inc.? - What was your best match in your WWF run do you think? - What was it like going back to Japan in 1993? - What do you think your career best match was? - Where and when was your favourite run during your career? - What are you memories of meeting Parv at Raw Deal 2 in Stevenage last year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueGuy Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Among hardcore fans, it's widely known that in the early 1980s and in 1988, you were being strongly considered for the NWA and WWF world championships respectively. Both times, plans changed. Do you feel it was a case of other talent getting in the way, bad timing or were you ever given any indication that there was some management-perceived intangible missing from the "Ted DiBiase presentation" that forced plans to change? Following those changes, were you ever given a timeline as to when you might expect to win either title? In light of how other UWF/Mid South talent was used, how do you think you might have fit into JCP if you opted to join that promotion instead of the WWF? In 1992, the steroid scandal began impacting the WWF's on-screen product. For the first time ever, the company had four consecutive world title reigns with wrestlers weighing less than 250 pounds. Given Flair's departure was there any discussion of you getting the title in late 1992? Aside from Hart, are you aware of anyone else being discussed for the role? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidebottom Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 His AJPW tour in 1993, thoughts and possible regrets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lust Hogan Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Which promoter do you feel utilized you to your fullest and why? Did you prefer being a bigger fish in Mid-South vs. one of many big fish in WWF? What is the biggest similarity between Vince McMahon and Bill Watts? Biggest difference? Have their been any angles you have refused to be a part of for any reason? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfman Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Weren't there rumors he was going to beat Flair at some point for the NWA Title? Love to hear about that and what he thought of Flair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Lacelle Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Ask him who his favorite manager to work with was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilclown Posted January 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Thanks to all. Was shorter than I hoped, but your questions were a big help. Coming soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilclown Posted January 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1911201...fe-in-wrestling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Ridge Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 Totally feels like there was a Part 2 to come out of this. Left us hanging on his intro to WWF. Too bad about it being short as was really good for what we got. Parv asked a million questions that I would have loved to hear DiBiase talk about but obviously not realistic. I did like that there was a focus on non WWF stuff but the WWF fan in me did want to hear more about the Million Dollar Man character. And I was totally hearing the Million Dollar Man laugh in my head every time [laugh] was in the article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 You are actually quite good at getting close to the best possible interview you can get in these scenarios, I think. A lot of that WWF stuff is actually easy to find, be it in his shoot interview or others, so this was a great and fresh read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilclown Posted January 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 I appreciate that. This one was tough. I didn't realize the time limitations and a WWE guy literally was like "Okay, last question." Which certainly wasn't what I hoped for! Of course, had I known it was just 15 minutes, I might have missed out on some of the cool stuff I got in favor of form WWE questions. Sophie's Choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Enthusiast Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 Definitely was expecting "were you a brawler or a technician? Or a brawling technician?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 [double post] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 You are actually quite good at getting close to the best possible interview you can get in these scenarios, I think. A lot of that WWF stuff is actually easy to find, be it in his shoot interview or others, so this was a great and fresh read. Just want to echo these sentiments. You only had 15 minutes with him and this was as good as it possibly could have been. You got him to talk both about periods of career he seldom goes into, a story I can't recalling him telling before and about the art of wrestling in general, which is what you want to see from a DiBiase interview in 2014. It's great that we've reached a stage where guys are at least being asked the right sorts of questions in shoots now. I almost feel like everyone needs to be interviewed again but "properly". Good job man. Definitely was expecting "were you a brawler or a technician? Or a brawling technician?" I did actually ask him this in person and his answer, annoyingly, was that he was trained by the Funks, and just like Funk was good at brawling and technically, so too was Ted "notable for both". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilclown Posted January 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 It's great that we've reached a stage where guys are at least being asked the right sorts of questions in shoots now. I almost feel like everyone needs to be interviewed again but "properly". Good job man. I really appreciate it. Can you imagine the great opportunities a company like RF Video had and just threw away? It's honestly sickening to listen to those videos, because it was a legitimate opportunity to create an oral history for the wrestling business and it's just complete bunk. I wonder what the economics are for that business? Is it even worthwhile to attempt circa 2014? A Meltzer style paywall for a podcast? Anyone have any idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 It's been something that has really frustrating me of late. All those guys who are now dead that RF or KC or whoever just completely blew because the interviewer didn't have a clue. I guess the problem is that a lot of the higher end guys would expect payment right? I can't see DiBiase sitting down with one of us for free for 2 hours, can you? What were the parameters of the BR interview? Someone really should sit down with someone like Terry Funk and pick his brains for a few hours before he's gone, y'know. In a way, we're getting a little bit more with Austin's show, but as we saw with the Flair interview, Austin is not really going to probe and is happy to let BS fly and all that. Even if we only got a handful of interviews "done properly", it would be better than nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilclown Posted January 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 It's a money issue more than anything. I don't really know how the "shoot interview" business works. For Bleacher Report I go through the WWE PR department to set up times. But getting the 30, 60, 90 minutes I want is pretty much out of the question. It's very frustrating. I'm just curious what the price is. If it's a few hundred, maybe that's possible with the right system. I'd consider it. If it's a few thousand, I think that's untenable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 99% of a good interview is getting the person you're interviewing to be comfortable with you. I feel like you got that in a short interview with Ted, there. He seemed to like your line of questions. That's the thing the shoot interview guys never get. You can ask the hard questions. You just have to butter the subject up a bit before you let loose with them. Once they are comfortable and feel like you're "on their side", they'll open up. You really did a great job with that short interview, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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