The Thread Killer Posted July 3, 2015 Report Share Posted July 3, 2015 Watching Billy Graham 77-8 timeline with Kayfabe Commentaries and Sean Oliver. - Bruno wore a hairpiece, a weave. Said Bruno told him that so many of his opponents were so psyched and nervous to be at MSG that they'd often pull at his hair or work stiff with the stress. - says Vince Sr was an incredibly successful promoter and a gentleman, respected and admired by all. Tells the story of fans having homemade t-shirts of SBG and going to Vince Sr to ask about turning babyface and merchandise -- wow, he got that in early, less than five minutes in! Vince Sr said "Well Superstar, I'm really not into marketing ... I I'm just into wrestling and the product." Interesting comment if true. - Eddie Graham and Vince Sr were almost joined at the hip. Talks about the Graham vs. Race title vs title match at the Orange Bowl. It was Graham's idea, because Vince Sr didn't think in those terms, he thought strictly in terms of the North East. But Eddie being a genius could foresee things of this nature. And convinced Senior to pull this thing off. - Vince Sr called him in 1976. Bruno wanted to retire. Says the hard boxing rings had took their toll on him. He wanted Graham to become the interim champion and en for Backlund to be champ. Graham aside him "who is Bob Backlund?" because at that point he was quite unknown. Senior said: "he's an up and coming kid that we believe will be the next Bruno Sammatino" -- I am not calling BS on this on Graham's part, but I struggle to believe that Vince Sr deep down really thought that. Or how anyone could think it. - he had the exact dates already down in 1976 of the day he'd win and day he'd lose. Already set out. Handshake. No contracts or signature. He said of course he'd do it. - why was he brought in to do a TV taping in WWF when he was still in Florida? It was to expose him to the NY market while staying busy and not being idle by continuing to work for Eddie. - Vince Sr introduced him to the Grand Wizard, which caught him off guard because he could do his own promos. Graham immediately flagged this up as a problem. Senior said, "Billy, just do it for me. Just try it." Second time meeting him! Ha ha. Graham made a practical decision to do it because this was such a big deal. He sat down with the Wizard. "We'll share our interviews, but you will also be like a valet for me. Take my sunglasses off. Comb my hair. Primp me. Take my t-shirt off." So it was actually a perfect fit, a match made in heaven. - did he have to change his style for New York? No, because he was never skilled as a worker. He was more of a strength guy. Eddie saw him limitations, and there was never a need for him to become a skilled Ric Flair type technician. They run through some names: - Willie Gilzenberg: wow, I'm excited to hear this! Graham says it's hard to remember because they were so old-school that the office, which was in the Edison Hotel, rat infested on Times Square. Tiny room. They went in there and did the booking. Rows of older gentlemen, who'd previously been in the business who Senior would give a couple of hundred dollars to as a favour. Graham says first time he went in there and saw Senior, Arnold Skaaland and all of these old guys sitting there, it was the most surreal thing he'd ever seen. Those guys booking Madison Square Garden in this little bitty office. He asked Skaaland for two tickets to the main event, and he stingily can barely peel off two tickets, even though he (Graham) was the one selling the building out. He didn't really say much about Gilzenberg. Phil Zacko: he got paid every three weeks by Zacko. When he was champion he signed a contract that said they would take one third of his pay check and set it aside to ensure he got the belt back. In Philly, they'd go into a back room with one lightbulb hanging over head. Senior would be there with Phil Zacko and a book. And he'd cut him a pay check. And Graham says, of course, they were skimming tremendous amounts of money from everyone including himself. He would question Zacko's accuracy as an accountant. But he didn't want to make too big of an issue because of how much he was making (for that era). Graham says that little room in the Phillu Arena with Zacko and the lightbulb was also surreal. Extremely surreal. Vince Jr: personally he was fine with him. Was not pushy, didn't appear to be arrogant. His father ran things, ran the book so he could do the erasing. Claims Senior once told him "always keep your book with a pencil, so you can rub something out". Ha ha. "put the names in ink, but the phone number in pencil so you can erase it!" Words of wisdom from Vince Sr and he saw him use that eraser in that ledger that looked like the tablets that Moses brought down from the Mount. Ha ha ha. Graham has so much charisma. Says it was like a holy book too. But Vince Jr was fine. Other than doing the announcing, at one point Senior gave him the city of Bangor, Maine to run. And they'd have lunch with him there. It was a dark old arena. His father told him that if he can make Bangor, Maine work, he'd consider handing the company over to him, but he had to prove himself. At that time Vince Jr was a very nice person. - Did the tag titles become unpopular? Yes. But the reason why the world title match was in the middle of the card because of a time when Pedro was facing Blackjack Mulligan and a Puerto Rican fan cut his leg from the knee to his hip! That was on last that match, so from that point on they had to protect the main event from the Puerto Rican fans. So they put the title match in third or fourth. I didn't know that. - the tag titles did not draw. - Baron Mikel Scicluna ... Graham says he was one of his dearest friends and tears up at this point. He's legit crying. He remembers It was freezing in the winter time and Scicluna didn't have the money to buy a coat. Graham had just bought a $500-600 leather jacket. Scicluna was broke. They were paying him nothing. Graham took off the jacket and gave it to him, "here brother". Then he went and bought another jacket. He said that always stayed with him. Graham is very very cut up over this and keeps breaking down crying. He said he apologises, because this was humanity. A man who was real and who being treated disrespectfully and not being paid for his earnings. He gave him a ride and Scicluna said "Billy I hate to do this to you, but we have to get the because I'm the first match." I had absolutely no idea Scicluna was so hard up. Makes me feel a bit guilty for all the dozens of times we've laughed at him on Titans. I must pause here, 29 mins in, about 90 left. This sounds interesting, but I'm always wary of anything from SBG because the man is a notorious liar. I understand that all Pro Wrestlers are full of shit - it comes with the territory and is part of the job description to a degree - but even for wrestlers, Graham is a horrible liar. He even admits in his own book that he lied and basically slandered Pat Patterson, trying to paint the guy as a child molester...just because he was bitter about Vince Jr. firing him. I own the "20 Years Too Soon" documentary that WWE put out with Graham's book (which isn't a bad read) and even his own damn wife basically admits that half the industry hates the guy for being such a liar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 This sounds interesting, but I'm always wary of anything from SBG because the man is a notorious liar. I understand that all Pro Wrestlers are full of shit - it comes with the territory and is part of the job description to a degree - but even for wrestlers, Graham is a horrible liar. He even admits in his own book that he lied and basically slandered Pat Patterson, trying to paint the guy as a child molester...just because he was bitter about Vince Jr. firing him. I own the "20 Years Too Soon" documentary that WWE put out with Graham's book (which isn't a bad read) and even his own damn wife basically admits that half the industry hates the guy for being such a liar. The book is equally full of funny shit as well. The "face turn that never happened" (a/k/a Stone Cold Superstar) and it causing Billy to become a complete addict was perhaps the funniest one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 So do we conclude from this that he was lying about Scicluna? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 The problem with liars is you don't know. You can't separate the bullshit from the sincerity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 He did start crying his eyes out, it was a strange moment in the interview. When I get back from Amsterdam, I'll ask on KM, see if anyone there knows. Sort of place where someone might legit have known Sciculuna personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Thread Killer Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 This sounds interesting, but I'm always wary of anything from SBG because the man is a notorious liar. I understand that all Pro Wrestlers are full of shit - it comes with the territory and is part of the job description to a degree - but even for wrestlers, Graham is a horrible liar. He even admits in his own book that he lied and basically slandered Pat Patterson, trying to paint the guy as a child molester...just because he was bitter about Vince Jr. firing him. I own the "20 Years Too Soon" documentary that WWE put out with Graham's book (which isn't a bad read) and even his own damn wife basically admits that half the industry hates the guy for being such a liar. The book is equally full of funny shit as well. The "face turn that never happened" (a/k/a Stone Cold Superstar) and it causing Billy to become a complete addict was perhaps the funniest one. I agree. While I found his book interesting to read, he does not come across as the slightest bit sympathetic, and he does exactly what you mentioned...basically he tries to justify his own behavior with some real stretches. His hatred and jealousy of Backlund borders on obsessive. I don't even really like Backlund all that much myself, but even I think Graham is nuts with his Backlund bashing. The other problem is, the man is a notorious attention whore. The second half of his book is pretty much a love sonnet to the McMahon family - who he promptly turned on (again) about a year after the book came out, giving interviews to anybody who would listen to him, blaming them for every thing under the sun, and selling his beloved WWE Hall of Fame ring on eBay. And of course when Bruno got in, Graham had to do the rounds with his opinion on that. He talks in his book rather fondly about Abdullah the Butcher, whom he has now spent the past few years since slagging every chance he gets for cutting people with blades. He didn't seem to have an issue with it in his book, but now all of the sudden that there is a lawsuit and press coverage, he thinks Abdullah is despicable and is happy to tell you all about it. Rock bottom to me (right along with falsely accusing a man of being a child molester) was pimping upcoming convention appearances, claiming they would be his final appearance, since he'd be dead in a year from liver failure. (These appearances happened a few years ago, FYI.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 He talks in his book rather fondly about Abdullah the Butcher, whom he has now spent the past few years since slagging every chance he gets for cutting people with blades. He didn't seem to have an issue with it in his book, but now all of the sudden that there is a lawsuit and press coverage, he thinks Abdullah is despicable and is happy to tell you all about it. To be fair to SBG in this case, it was later discovered that Abdullah knowingly had Hep C and bladed people anyway. That's a scumbag move of the lowest caliber. Graham had Hep C as well (not from Abdullah), so I can see why he'd be upset and take it personally. So, yeah, fuck Abdullah. He's a fat piece of shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Thread Killer Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 I agree that Abdullah is a total scumbag...or as New Jack so eloquently put it " ." (I can't help myself, I laugh my arse off at that rant..."you got a rib shack in a chinese restaurant you confused-ass motherfucker!") My issue is that Graham may have started off being upset about the Hep C issue, but since then he has expanded his criticisms to Abdullah cutting other wrestlers without permission...something he knew Abdullah did WAY back before he knew he had Hep C. Like I said, Graham had no issue with Abdullah in his book (and we know Abdullah has been cutting people since pretty much day one) but now that he can get some publicity out of it, he's not just outraged about the Hep C, he's outraged about the cutting and the bleeding and the horrible violence in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Thread Killer Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 Oh yeah...his old friend Dusty Rhodes has only been dead for 3 weeks, but that hasn't stopped Graham from publicly asking for his job. Yeah Billy, I'm sure the reason you haven't heard back is because Vince has been busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 My issue is that Graham may have started off being upset about the Hep C issue, but since then he has expanded his criticisms to Abdullah cutting other wrestlers without permission...something he knew Abdullah did WAY back before he knew he had Hep C. Like I said, Graham had no issue with Abdullah in his book (and we know Abdullah has been cutting people since pretty much day one) but now that he can get some publicity out of it, he's not just outraged about the Hep C, he's outraged about the cutting and the bleeding and the horrible violence in general. If SBG is bitching about violence and bloodshed now, that's idiotic. However, there's a massive difference between Abby cutting people without permission before he knew he had Hep C (which is still bad, don't get me wrong) and knowingly infecting them with his blade. I don't see how Graham is a hypocrite for speaking out against the latter. He may be full of shit for many other reasons, but not that. Did Graham show questionable judgment by being okay with it before the Hep C issue? Sure. But it became a much more serious matter when Abby's reckless blading infected others (most notably Devon "Hannibal" Nicholson). As New Jack said in the video, what Abby did was attempted murder. Lock that rib shack pig up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 I just want to know which hash bar in Amsterdam Parv is at and what he ordered to make this something to think about while on vacation in fucking Amsterdam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 I just want to know which hash bar in Amsterdam Parv is at and what he ordered to make this something to think about while on vacation in fucking Amsterdam. God if I had been in Amsterdam I'd have about 6 months of my fantasy booking done in my head after one trip to the bar. I hope he partook just for the sake of the 1983 project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 They call them Coffeeshops, Johnny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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