WWE Network... It's Here

[The Thread Killer]

The majority of the information about Sabu's personal life I learned during the aforementioned "Breaking Kayfabe" interview he did with Kayfabe Commentaries. That is a series of Shoot Interviews Sean Oliver does where he focuses on the personal lives of the subject and if you are a Sabu fan, I can't recommend that interview enough. I've seen pretty much all the shoots Sabu has done, but that is the one where he is by far at his most open and candid. He even comments during the interview that he is comfortable enough with Sean Oliver (due to the two previous interviews they had done, in addition to their working relationship) that he doesn't feel too anxious talking to him. That is also the interview where he gets into detail about his time in the WWE, what went wrong, how they tried to change him, and how he felt about himself there.

 

C.S., I hope you'll like Drawing Heat. You have to keep in mind, that book was originally published in 1988, long before Mick Foley wrote "Have A Nice Day" and opened the doors for the million wrestling books that followed. I fully grant you that the book is pretty "Toronto-centric." It's mostly about how the Toronto Wrestling Office run by the Tunney family tried to run an independent promoter named Dave McKigney out of business. McKigney (known as The Canadian Wildman) was infamous for two reasons. Firstly, he used to wrestle a bear on his shows, until the bear attacked and killed his girlfriend. Secondly, McKigney was driving the van during the car accident that killed Adrian Adonis and he was killed himself in the accident. This book came out before the accident, but I understand the latest printings have a new final chapter covering the accident and McKigney's death.

 

However, one of the main stars of Dave McKigney's shows was The Sheik. By this time the Sheik was long past his prime, however he liked working for McKigney. Sabu actually got his start working for McKigney too, wrestling as "Terry S.R." Professor Freedman got to know The Sheik as they both traveled with McKigney, and the chapters about The Sheik are pretty eye-opening. I might have suspected they were being embellished for dramatic effect, but all the other stories about The Sheik seem to bear those types of stories out.

 

I appreciate you giving my side of the argument some thought, at the least.

[C.S.]

Took me a solid half-hour to find this again, but it's worth it...

 

An amazing article about the Original Sheik, written by his daughter:

 

https://jenfarhat.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/life-with-a-madman-jack-detroit-july-2011.pdf (PDF file)

 

BTW, in the Drawing Heat sample I read, McKigney is definitely mentioned. There's a acknowledgements section at the beginning discussing his death, with the author lamenting that he wishes McKigney was still alive to enjoy its publication and re-publication.

 

 

[fxnj]

 

 

 

 

I never get this attitude? We are going to chastise everybody who doesn't do something they don't want to do, because they could had got money?

 

Money isn't everything.

Who said anything about money? I said career longevity. Yes, money (and the more important part here, security) is part of that, but not all of it. It sure as hell beats prostituting himself in high school gyms for $50 a shot like a weathered old gigolo, which is probably what he's doing now. "The Wrestler," anyone?

 

Sabu made his choice, he cared more about something else than money and career longevity. Who are you to tell him he made the wrong choice?

 

Do you know if he's happy or not happy right now with his life?

 

 

In his KC Breaking Kayfabe interview from a year or so ago he seemed pretty despondent. When asked if he thought he stayed around too ling he said "probably" and in the interview he did in the UK about being offered the WWF role as Sultan he seemed to acknowledge he probably should've taken it in hindsight. I don't think Sabu thinks he can't survive the consequences of his choices but he does certainly seem to be more accepting to admit he shouldn't have made some of the choices he did.

 

Which is completely his right.

 

I just hate the notion that somebody automatically made the wrong choice because they turned dome some money or career opportunity. Everybody has different goals and needs in life.

 

You realize you could use your same logic of "it's fine if it makes them happy" argument to deny getting help for drug users who deny there's a problem, right? Besides that, wrestling, just like boxing and MMA, is a very physically demanding activity that carries with it quite a few consequences that aren't obvious until it's too late. It is a pretty well documented problem that quite a few old timers didn't learn how to manage money and stuck around too long. I don't think I've seen anyone forced to stick around glad that they passed off the opportunity to leave with a truckload of money and their heath, or people who did get out early who regret they didn't get to live like Randy "The Ram" Robinson.

[Grimmas]

 

 

 

 

 

I never get this attitude? We are going to chastise everybody who doesn't do something they don't want to do, because they could had got money?

 

Money isn't everything.

Who said anything about money? I said career longevity. Yes, money (and the more important part here, security) is part of that, but not all of it. It sure as hell beats prostituting himself in high school gyms for $50 a shot like a weathered old gigolo, which is probably what he's doing now. "The Wrestler," anyone?

 

Sabu made his choice, he cared more about something else than money and career longevity. Who are you to tell him he made the wrong choice?

 

Do you know if he's happy or not happy right now with his life?

 

 

In his KC Breaking Kayfabe interview from a year or so ago he seemed pretty despondent. When asked if he thought he stayed around too ling he said "probably" and in the interview he did in the UK about being offered the WWF role as Sultan he seemed to acknowledge he probably should've taken it in hindsight. I don't think Sabu thinks he can't survive the consequences of his choices but he does certainly seem to be more accepting to admit he shouldn't have made some of the choices he did.

 

Which is completely his right.

 

I just hate the notion that somebody automatically made the wrong choice because they turned dome some money or career opportunity. Everybody has different goals and needs in life.

 

You realize you could use your same logic of "it's fine if it makes them happy" argument to deny getting help for drug users who deny there's a problem, right? Besides that, wrestling, just like boxing and MMA, is a very physically demanding activity that carries with it quite a few consequences that aren't obvious until it's too late. It is a pretty well documented problem that quite a few old timers didn't learn how to manage money and stuck around too long. I don't think I've seen anyone forced to stick around glad that they passed off the opportunity to leave with a truckload of money and their heath, or people who did get out early who regret they didn't get to live like Randy "The Ram" Robinson.

 

Wow, no. Obviously I'm not saying you should do whatever makes you happy even if it's harmful. However, you can be happy without having a lot of money. More money does not mean more happiness.

[SomethingSavage]

No, but peace of mind breeds happiness. And a certain sense of peace comes from feeling secure. Financial security is key in our capitalistic world. That's just reality.

 

Of course it's great to feel fulfilled artistically and creatively. But, when push comes to shove, responsibilities will take priority. Not everyone can realistically afford to pursue Disney fairy tale goals over real world bills & obligations.

 

Obviously the key is in finding balance & a comfortable middle ground. If we're using Sabu as one end of the spectrum, then look no further than a guy like RVD for an example of that middle ground. The guy's probably perfectly satisfied with his legacy and impact in th business. Plus he made some money-driven moves along the way - enough to set himself up comfortably. Now he can call his own shots as he pleases.

 

That's an attainable goal, which ticks off the artistic AND financial boxes. It's a little silly to pretend the only options are "total sellout" or "broke bum Randy the Ram."

[Grimmas]

I don't know Sabu's current state, but is really broke bum Randy the Ram?

 

The whole thing is, is Sabu happy with his life? If he is, then you can't say it was stupid for him to not do something with the WWE. If he really regrets not having that money and is miserable today, then you may be right. However, I don't think any of us have enough info to make that judgement.

[Wahoos Leg]

Well, about 3 years ago, when he came in for the indy I was working for, that night he trashed the hotel room and stole the coffee pot so I don't think that's indicative of a financially stable, satisfied life.

[SomethingSavage]

Well, not necessarily.

 

Rich people do stupid shit all the time, too.

[iamthedoctor]

 

 

I never get this attitude? We are going to chastise everybody who doesn't do something they don't want to do, because they could had got money?

 

Money isn't everything.

Who said anything about money? I said career longevity. Yes, money (and the more important part here, security) is part of that, but not all of it. It sure as hell beats prostituting himself in high school gyms for $50 a shot like a weathered old gigolo, which is probably what he's doing now. "The Wrestler," anyone?

 

Sabu made his choice, he cared more about something else than money and career longevity. Who are you to tell him he made the wrong choice?

 

Do you know if he's happy or not happy right now with his life?

 

 

I know he eventually went to WWE but im not sure how his run would have gone during the invasion when you look how they treated Tommy Dreamer during that time frame. All the years later Sabu finally came in and he basically got treated like a jobber. Sure there was a interest in making money after the ONS event but I think they shouldnt have used the same 3 letters and came up with something else or at least not used the old ECW guys.

 

[The Thread Killer]

The whole thing is, is Sabu happy with his life? If he is, then you can't say it was stupid for him to not do something with the WWE. If he really regrets not having that money and is miserable today, then you may be right. However, I don't think any of us have enough info to make that judgement.

 

I was poking around and found the clip from the KC shoot where Sabu talked about his time in WWE.

(We don't seem to be able to post YouTube videos anymore?)

[sek69]

All I know about Sabu is that Melissa Coates is his valet now doing a genie gimmick and seems to be somewhat of a legit manager for him as she hustles for bookings on Facebook for the two of them.

[C.S.]

Pretty good episode of the Prichard podcast this week, clocking in at a tight 77 minutes, about AJ Styles in TNA.

 

Yes, there was footage of TNA.

 

Yes, the Global Wrestling Network got a plug at the end (talk about an identity crisis - their streaming serviced is named after a failed cash-for-gold promotion - and the words Impact or TNA are included nowhere in it).

 

I don't believe this was ever covered on the regular podcast, so it should be all new content.

 

All of the news was new - to me, at least, as following TNA was something I could never stomach for long.

 

The show covers only Prichard's time in TNA - from 2010 to a couple of years later - so it's that time period and AJ's departure that are mainly focused on.

 

They talk about the office's perception of AJ at the time Bruce came in, some of the booking decisions, and go into his contract and exit in great detail.

 

They also cover some of the non-AJ stuff going on in TNA at the time, such as Flair showing up to the WWE Hall of Fame while still under contract to TNA.

 

Maybe it's just me, but Conrad seemed pissed off in a non-working way this week. Maybe a big mortgage fell through?

 

Overall, I thought it was a fun listen.

[hammerva]

Never thought we would see Claire Lynch on a WWE show but there she was

[C.S.]

Never thought we would see Claire Lynch on a WWE show but there she was

 

Or Kenny Omega.

 

(I think he'll sign eventually, but certainly not anytime soon.)

[Mad Dog]

I think you'll see Omega and the Bucks do it to get a final payday before retirement.

[clintthecrippler]

I think you'll see Omega and the Bucks do it to get a final payday before retirement.

Please keep Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks as far away from Invader I as possible.

[C.S.]

I think you'll see Omega and the Bucks do it to get a final payday before retirement.

 

Which makes them both smarter than Sabu.

 

Seriously though, I watched the clip Thread Killer posted and actually found myself agreeing with Sabu.

 

One clip led to another, and I gotta ask, what the fuck is with Sean Oliver? He always looks like he's ready to fall asleep.

[SPS]

 

I think you'll see Omega and the Bucks do it to get a final payday before retirement.

 

Which makes them both smarter than Sabu.

 

Seriously though, I watched the clip Thread Killer posted and actually found myself agreeing with Sabu.

 

One clip led to another, and I gotta ask, what the fuck is with Sean Oliver? He always looks like he's ready to fall asleep.

 

 

KC usually shoots their stuff around conventions so they usually film a couple shoots in one weekend with the shooting being late at night or early in the morning when talent isn't busy so that's probably why he looks so tired in a bunch of them.

[Mad Dog]

 

 

 

 

I think you'll see Omega and the Bucks do it to get a final payday before retirement.

Which makes them both smarter than Sabu.

 

Seriously though, I watched the clip Thread Killer posted and actually found myself agreeing with Sabu.

 

One clip led to another, and I gotta ask, what the fuck is with Sean Oliver? He always looks like he's ready to fall asleep.

I figure the Bullet Club shirts will start drying up when they're hitting 36-37. I think you will probably see the Bucks negotiate some sort of deal where they take less guaranteed money to get a bigger cut of their merchandise sales. I think that's their end game is to clean up in WWE before retirement.

[sek69]

More Mid-Atlantic stuff is being added, going into 1985.

[Indikator]

To put it negatively - "Drawing Heat" was an attempt of doing a book in the "Gonzo" style and the more I have to do with the Ontario shows outside of Toronto from like 1965-1990 the less does the book make much sense. You would really need a Whipper Watson Jr. book as well to be able to understand what the hell was going on. Canada around 1975 is pure chaos

[Log]

Is the UK tourney theyre doing in a few days going to air at all on the network?

[Ricky Jackson]

Yeah, a week later

[Log]

Cool. Looks like a fun show on paper.

[sek69]

So after watching Mid South from the beginning on the network to near the end of 83, and I'm 95% sure Bill Watts is trolling with the way he mispronounces people's names at this point. Besides the famous Hacksaw "Doogan", there's Crusher Dar-SOW (emphasis on the second part making it sound weird) and the just debuted Jim Need-hart. Everyone else says them correctly for the most part, so either everyone was afraid of correcting Watts or he had an oddly specific speech impediment.