Powers

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s new comics day here in the U.S., with new books available in comic shops and online.

This month, DC Comics continues to wrap up storylines in advance of next month’s Convergence event and June’s mini-relaunch, while Marvel continues its March towards Battleworld.

My pull (and I’m admittedly a DC fanboy, so you won’t see too much Marvel on my lists) this week includes the three DC Comics weeklies – Future’s End, Earth 2: World’s End and Batman Eternal – along with the new issues of Action Comics, Constantine and Coffin Hill, a fun book from Vertigo that in my opinion needs some more love.

Other notable stuff coming out this week: new issues of Star Wars, Walking Dead, Spider-Gwen and Astro City, along with Bill & Ted’s Most Triumphant Return.

What does your pull list look like?

In other news, Powers debuted yesterday on PlayStation Plus and Flash and Arrow come back to TV next week.

Anyone else watch the first three episodes of Powers?

While revisiting the Mega Powers angle in your SNME re-rants, where you would rank that in the "best angles ever" debate.  It started in October 87 on SNME and if you end it at WM5 it's till nearly a year and a half of perfect slow burn.  It elevated Savage to full time main eventer forever and drew shit loads of money.  I'm born in 82 and grew up a WWF fan.  For my money, that was the best ever.  Austin/Hart Foundation 97, Austin/McMahon 98, and the NWO are up there too in my opinion.

Certainly it was the biggest money drawing angle ever for a single match.  Creatively as well I'd have no problem putting it up there.  It was the kind of year long planning they just don't do anymore.  

This was filmed on October 30th, 2004

It runs at one hour and nineteen minutes long

The interview was conducted by Rob Feinstein and Doug Gentry

Barbarian is asked first about how he got started in wrestling. He started out in sumo wrestling and was taught by Red Bastein. Barbarian said the transition from sumo to professional was tough. In his first match, he wrestled an old-timer from Germany who kicked his ass and Barbarian said he almost quit the business after that.

He then briefly worked for Lawler and Jerry Jarrett in Memphis. He said that Lawler gave him the gimmick with the face paint. After that, he went to work for Ole Anderson in Atlanta. When asked about the transition, Barbarian said that Memphis was a “gimmick” territory while Atlanta was more about the competition and he liked that better. He said while in Atlanta, he and the Road Warriors were involved in matches and they were young and did not know any better and would beat the shit out of each other in the ring.

The Warlord got started in the business when he was at a gym in Minneapolis when Road Warrior Animal approached him about starting in the business. Animal sent a photo of Warlord to Dusty and he spent nine months in the NWA before he was sent to the Central States territory in Kansas to work for Bob Geigel in order to gain some experience. He said he watched some of the AWA growing up but wanted to be a pro football player.

He said that his very first match was his first time in an actual ring as he only trained on mats with Ed Sharkey. Other wrestlers he trained with were Brady Boone and Teijho Khan.

He is asked about being paired with Baby Doll when he first started. He said that he was really nervous at that time but she did a great job of calming him down. He talked a bit about his feud with Dusty Rhodes and he said that Dusty helped him out a lot and calls him a nice guy with unbelievable charisma. Barbarian chimes in that Dusty is a great businessman.

Warlord said that he loved being in Japan. He said he enjoyed the stiff wrestling style and said he was stiff at that time so he adapted well. Barbarian said he used to go by himself to Japan and when he would come back to the States, he would forget and work the stiff Japanese style with the American guys. Both guys liked Antonio Inoki too.

Now, they are asked about how they got paired up as a team. They said that it was Dusty’s idea. Warlord talks about how they had a match against each other in Atlanta they were very stiff. When asked, Warlord said there was no heat from the Road Warriors about their similar gimmicks. He then credits Animal for coming up with the “Powers of Pain” name. Both guys loved working with the Road Warriors.

On how they wound up in the WWF, Barbarian talks about how they were doing an angle for a scaffold match but they did not want to have that match at all as they were too big for it and said how Vince noticed them from the bench press angle and they called him up and went to the WWF.

They are asked about several guys. They like Ric Flair and said how he is still on top of his game. Warlord said he likes Lex Luger but talks about how he always kept to himself in the NWA and wouldnt say hi to guys and that changed in the WWF when Davey Boy kept on ribbing Lex until he changed his ways.

Warlord loved Ivan Koloff and said that he was helpful and would answer any question you had. He said he was a total workhorse in the ring.

When asked about road stories from this time, Warlord talks about how they did a show in New York and Ivan started to drink in the room and fell down and whacked his head off of the radiator and was out cold. Warlord said there are more stories in the WWF because in the NWA, they usually traveled after the shows compared to the WWF where they would stay in the city and leave in the morning.

Barbarian is asked about his reputation as one of the toughest guys in the business, along with Haku. Barbarian said that it’s Haku. He is then asked about a bar fight he got in and Barbarian just said that when you are young and drink, you do wild things.

They are asked about joining the WWF. Warlord talks about how they flew to Atlanta and met Vince, Pat Patterson, and Hulk Hogan, who was filming “No Holds Barred” at the time and were told that they wanted them to start in three days.

Warlord said that when you first go to the WWF, you realize that you have made it as a wrestler. Warlord then said that the Barbarian’s wife made all of their business decisions.

When asked why they worked with Demolition at first then having a feud with the Bolshivicks before going back to feud with Demolition, Warlord said that they built it up that way and talks about how that is not done anymore.

They are asked about the travel schedule and Warlord talks about how one afternoon, they were in Washington D.C. then flew to Boston for a night show then the next day, did an afternoon show in Colorado Springs and a night show in Denver before flying to Seattle the next day then to Phoenix. He said in the Winter, they ran double shows on the weekends.

On the drug screen, Warlord said that a lot of his friends did. He said the pain pills and uppers and downers were the most popular.

When discussing steroids, Warlord said that it is not a necessity but helps keep your body together due to the travel and unlike sports, they never get rest. He also admits to taking them.

Warlord said he loved working with the Hart Foundation. He loved Jim Neidhart and said he would really stiff you with forearm smashes in the corner. He calls Bret one of the five best wrestlers of all-time. Both guys liked working with the Bushwhackers and Warlord said they were hilarious and it was tough to keep a straight-face when in the ring with them. Warlord said the Rockers were one of the best babyface of all-time. Barbarian tells a story of how he pressed Shawn Michaels over his head at a show and he went up so high in the air that he hit the light above the ring and the crowd thought he was dead. When asked if he thought Shawn was going to be a singles star, Warlord did not see it at that time but said the two fought a lot with each other and mentioned how Marty kicked his ass a few times.

On how they split up, Warlord said they were told that they would be working with Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior in singles competition. Warlord said that working with Hogan gives you goosebumps as the crowd goes wild and you see cameras flashing everywhere. He also talks about the payoffs being better. They never worked with the Ultimate Warrior but get always got along with him and Warlord said that they email each other today.

They are asked about other wrestlers. Warlord said that Jake had an incredible mind for the business but he could not get away from the drug scene. Barbarian puts over his promos. Warlord liked Randy Savage and said that he could not believe that the voice he used on TV was the same in person. When asked about being overprotective about Elizabeth, Warlord said that Randy got mad once at the boys when they were getting dressed in the corridor as Elizabeth turned the corner. Barbarian talks about how on tour, Jerry Sags was farting in Elizabeth’s presence and Randy went nuts and called Vince then bought a ticket for Elizabeth to go home. Barbarian said that the Nasty Boys really lived their gimmick.

When asked about how Dusty was treated when he arrived in the WWF, they said he was accepted at first and was like one of the boys but Warlord did say that the polka-dot attire and Sapphire was a total rib on him. Feinstein asks Barbarian about how Lanny Poffo said he wanted to kill Dusty when he first arrived but was charmed to death by him and Barbarian confirms that as true.

Warlord talks about Bret Hart and said that he is like Arn Anderson in that if you have a bad match with them, you should quit the business.

Next, they are asked about Chris Walker. Warlord laughs as he tells a story of how they ribbed him. They told Walker that he should never share a room with Barbarian because he would sit in his underwear and spit into a cup while staring you down. When the hotel only had one extra bed in his roon, Walker got nervous and refused to go into his room. When asked why Walker never made it in the WWF, Warlord said that he had no idea and that he was a good worker.

They said there favorite wrestlers to work singles matches with were Bret, Davey Boy, and Ricky Steamboat.

When asked why the left the WWF, Warlord said that you could only go so long at the company then you had to go. Warlord said the decision was mutual.

They talk about wrestling under masks as the “Super Assassins” for WCW but the fans knew who they were and cheered for them to take off the masks.

Barbarian said that going back to WCW the second time, he liked teaming with Cactus Jack and said that he was crazy but liked him. On teaming with Tony Atlas, Barbarian said he worked really slow. He said that Vader was a bully but he got along with him.

And now Barbarian is asked about Haku. Barbarian said that Haku has a big heart and if you go into a bar with him, he will buy everyone drinks and if you run into a problem, he will take care of it for you. Warlord said that Haku was a great nose and said he was there in Baltimore with the Tonga Kid when Haku bit off a guy’s nose in a bar fight. He briefly talked to Haku, who had been drinking a bit, then sees Haku look around the bar and go towards a guy and that is when he bit off his nose. They put Haku in the car and brought them back to the hotel. He sat in the lobby then a bunch of cop cars showed up and Warlord said he told the cops to give him 15 minutes to calm down and he will be okay because if they don’t, he will try to fight everyone. When asked why Haku bit his nose, Warlord said that the guy looked a Haku wrong in the bar. He said the police waited then Haku was calm when they approached him.

They tell another Haku story while they were in St. Louis. They were at a club and a few guys were calling Haku a “nigger.” Haku was telling them to chill and that he was just here to have a good time and when they did not stop, Haku laid out all four guys in a second. After that a police officer, a former football player in the NFL who weighed 300 lbs, came in and Haku tossed him across the club. Warlord said that the cop said that in the local paper too.

When asked about injuries, Barbarian said he broke his left knee when he fell the wrong way while wrestling as a rookie. Warlord said that when they tagged, the other one would pick up the slack if you were injured.

Warlord said his career ended in 1996 when he was in a car accident after a car was driving the wrong way and he ended up suffering four herniated discs. He is now a bodyguard, running security for two clubs, and was a bodyguard for 50 Cent recently. Warlord said he was a good guy and nice to him. Warlord said that Young Buck was wild but a nice guy too. He got to be there bodyguard when they saw him in a club in Florida and asked if he could do that.

Warlord said that he wished they got a chance to wrestle the Road Warriors in the WWF.

When asked about any rib stories, Warlord said that one time, someone stuffed a bunch of dead mice into Harvey Whippleman’s shoes and when he went to put them on, he ended up squishing them and their guts popped out. He also tells a story of how Curt Hennig put a 1,000 or so ladybugs inside of Black Bart’s bag. Bart then chased around Barbarian with a knife after he thought he stuck his hat in the toilet. the Barbarian was laughing at him as this was going on.

They are asked if they were ever a victim of Mr. Fuji’s pranks. Warlord said no then tells a story of how they were at a hotel bar while Mr. Fuji was pissing in a plant while talking to the hotel manager. Warlord said how Fuji once pissed on Lex Luger’s boot after Lex was pissing off everyone and Lex was afraid to move as he knew that Fuji would keep on targeting him. Warlord said that when Fuji was drinking, he would just piss wherever he was at that time.

Both guys briefly talk about how they wrestle infrequently today and thank the fans of all their support.

Final Thoughts: I liked this interview. It was short and entertaining throughout and really just a breeze to listen too. The Warlord did most of the talking but both guys came across great and were pleasant throughout the interview. There was not even a hint of bitterness from either guy. I have also never heard anyone say a bad thing about either guy and given their size, why would you?

I came away from this liking both guys a lot. As far as the interview itself, they share some insight and had some good stories about pranks and travel. I give this a recommendation and will  add that it is an easy interview to get through in one sitting.