This was filmed in 2010
The interview was conducted by Rob Feinstein
It runs for one hour and forty-five minutes long.
The interview starts with Missy asking Honky what wrestling he watched before getting into the business. Honky said he watched Nick Gulas' Memphis Territory and believed all of what they were selling in regards to diamond rings and limousines. Missy asked him about Gulas' payoffs as Honky said it depends who it is as he talks about how Vince was the same way and that TNA does it as well. Honky then talks about Vince killing the business and how today the underneath guys in TNA are killing it too as they are basically working for free as Missy chimes in on how you have to do that when you are breaking into the business.
Both of them shoot the breeze as they talk about nepotism in wrestling with Honky telling Missy she could be the next Dixie Carter if her daddy owned a wrestling company as Missy jokes that she couldn't because she has a brain.
On Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett breaking away from Gulas to open their own territory, Honky said that they took the guys with them as they offered more money then when Jim Barnett offered more he took those guys from Jarrett and Lawler.
They talk some more about Memphis as Honky mentions all of the guys who sleep with "rats" while married and would get pissed if you mentioned how many they had slept with as Missy said Eddie Gilbert told her that you could always tell how well Memphis was doing by the quality and amount of the rats that would hang out at the arenas. Honky puts over Phil Hickerson as being a great worker and talker and was one tough guy as he would fight for the fun of it, like David Schultz. He was asked about Hogan in Memphis as Honky said he was just breaking in at the time but could tell even then he had it and joked how the saw the "money dripping off of him."
Honky and Missy joke around as Honky tells Missy she wasn't green in the WWF as Jake Roberts "broke her in" as Missy then says it was the other way around. Missy then talks about how she got H-Bombed and did not find out until years later as they then talk about Sam Houston and about what happened to him as they learn he was in jail.
Missy asks Honky about working in Calgary. Honky first does a killer Stu Hart impression then talks about how he bought his "green gimmick" from Smith Hart and how he never messed with cocaine. He said that Bruce Hart would have all sorts of wacky stories about why he did not like different Nationalities. Honky also said that Stu told him that Bruce thought he was "Roman Polanski" and would hang around young girls. Missy then jokes that she was going to ask Bret Hart for his sperm because with her brains and looks and his wrestling abilities they would have a child that could rule the world.
On the Dynamite Kid and if he was a mean-spirited ribber, Honky said that Dynamite would prey on the weak and would do anything if he got away with it until Jacques Rougeau paid him back. Honky said that Dynamite terrorized Terry Taylor. Honky talks about how Dynamite beat himself up by wrestling in Japan and by the late 80's all of the pain he was undergoing made him angry.
Honky is then asked if he is mad about other wrestlers using his gimmicks as he said that everyone in wresting borrows from everyone then talks about how Jake Roberts created the 3:16 gimmick. Missy then adds in a story about Jake as he introduced her boyfriend to him a few years ago and Jake went up to him and shook his balls, saying "nice to meet you."
Feinstein then asks them what wrestling marriages were doomed for failure and which ones surprised you by ending in divorce. Honky jokes that his own marriage lasting surprised him the most, which has lasted for 27 years. Honky then talks about how it is not the business that causes the divorce but that when someone decides to switch from their regular life to that of a wrestler they go into a whole new lifestyle. Honky was shocked that Elizabeth and Savage divorced. They then try to figure out if Flair's newest wife is his 4th or 5th marriage.
They both talk about TNA trying to compete with the WWE on Monday Nights and how they never had a product to compete with the WWE. Honky says why would TNA expect to draw a lot of people on Monday when they draw 400 fans at their house shows. Missy then tells Dixie Carter to think about each segment on Impact and how will it get people to come to the shows or buy the PPV's as she wonders how TNA makes money. Honky then laughs at the notion of Vince Russo changing the wrestling business then questions the decision of running a strip poker segment on TNA's first Monday Night show and how that was a waste of time. They talk about how they have talent but the production is awful and Honky thinks they should fire all of the non-wrestling guys in the back. Honky says TNA is WCW all over again as they are just throwing money away.
Honky is asked about the incident between Matt Borne and Jim Duggan. Honky says he does not know all of the details but the promoter never should have booked two seasoned vets together as they would not cooperate then talks about how no one should ever get into a fight over this "stupid business" as Missy makes fun of guys crying about having to put other people over.
When asked if it is tough to make money at their age on the Independent scene, Honky said that a lot of guys that get cut from the WWE are usually gobbled up quick but that he always reinvents himself and starts to do comic book conventions and car shows along with a rock & roll wrestling tour he is working on at the moment.
He is asked what happened to his Gatorade bottle (Honky was famous for drinking hard booze with the Gatorade) as Honky said he has not had any hard liquor in two years and will only have a few beers here and there as Missy added that she has not had anything in four years. Honky said he was drinking just to pass time on the road and waiting for shows.
Missy talks about Chris Kanyon and his suicide. She feels bad for saying a lot of mean things about him during a shoot interview that they filmed together that had not been released yet. Missy then talks about how he could have had better options for him rather than suicide, even discussing that Kanyon himself in that interview talked about how he had mentioned that he would kill himself all of the time.
Feinstein then asks them what would they tell Dixie Carter if they had a meeting with her. Honky said he would tell her to find something else to do as Missy reiterates about asking Dixie to look at each segment and figure out how will it make her money or get fans to buy the shows and PPV's. Missy then says it is a business to make money as Honky questions why wouldn't you go out an hire a PR firm that knows how to market if you have all of that money and why you would continue to keep the same people around that have no idea what they are doing. They then talk about how they are never going to go after the WWE but can make money by being an alternative.
On their favorites to watch, Honky loved watching the Funks and Harley Race. He also loved hearing King Curtis on interviews. Honky also talks about how he never cared that much about how athletic someone might be or how they looked. Missy talks about Tommy Rich and how hot he was in 1981, saying that he could talk the pants off of the girls.
Honky says he does not follow the product much today but thinks that Randy Orton should be pushed more and that he likes Ted DiBiase Jr. Missy talks about all of the guys in the WWE looking the same with similar tattoos. Honky then talks about how the guest shows are not helping anything and that picking fights with the hosts and announcers will not sell tickets, just the fights between the wrestlers.
About the drug scene and if it was a lot more prevalent when they were in the major companies as compared to today, Honky thinks it is the same as guys can do what they want in the privacy of their own home that you would never know about. Honky said he was unaware of the cocaine problems in the WWF when he was there as he was at the bar of out getting food and not with those guys.
Missy talks about Mickie James and the incident in which her nude photos were posted all over the locker room and how in any other TV company that would constitute as sexual harassment and she could easily file a lawsuit.
On the Iron Sheik and how he is still alive, Honky said its amazing how he is still alive after all of the abuse he has brought on himself mentally and physically, citing the fact that he must have tremendous genes as Missy jokes how he would survive a nuclear bomb.
Honky is asked about the WWE letting Jim Ross go as Honky says that Ross has some sour grapes going on as after all they did to him he is shocked they let him go, noting how Ross also stabbed a lot of people in the back while working for the WWE. Missy adds that Ross is still the best announcer and was a mentor to her in Mid South. Honky then talks about his job in talent relations and how the people who take that position believe they are bigger than the job and says that a certain type of person takes a job that requires you to fire someone for really no reason as Missy talks about the WWE not giving young guys a chance.
When asked if you can still be innovative in wrestling today, Missy said yes and that you have to keep up with the times as wrestling has been on television since the 1950's and will be for years to come as the business goes through lulls. Honky cites a seminar from JBL on how he told perspective wrestlers to stand out from the crowd.
On whether or not MMA will hurt the wrestling business, Missy says no as people watch wrestling for the storylines and not the fights. Honky adds that MMA is different as their merchandise and action figures are not big sellers as a majority of their fans are adults and not children like in wrestling. Honky says that Brock Lesnar will succeed in MMA as he is a character and will be there long if he stays healthy.
When asked about the silliest gimmicks they have seen, Honky says the Gobbledy Gooker as Missy said it was cool and would play that if asked. Missy said the Ding Dongs was the silliest she has seen.
Missy said that the reason crowds are down for Independent shows is due to the fact that they only advertise on the internet as Honky adds that they do a poor job of getting the word out to the fans as sometimes they do not even know you are in town.
They close with being asked about their legacy as Honky talks about he will be remembered for being controversial and most do not know he had a career before going to the WWF as they both joke about how they lived longer than they thought they would.
Final Thoughts: Not a bad interview at all but with these two as the subjects you'd expect a little more in terms of crazy stories. They showed a lot of insight here, especially Missy (which might shock you if not familiar with her on Twitter or past interviews. Her Twitter account is very insightful in terms of wrestling), and there were some funny parts but these two were relatively mild throughout the interview.
But more importantly, these two have settled down and no longer abuse their bodies like they did in the past. Nice to see them both sober after some struggles. And they both seemed in good spirits and in health here too.
A lot of the content here was in regards to Honky's early career, which had Missy asking him all sorts of questions and about TNA's attempt to recreate the Monday Night War (Which was shortly before this was filmed).
I found this to be a solid interview but if you are not interested into their opinions and insights into the above and expected to hear crazy road stories, then I would not recommend this as you would probably be bored, especially at the beginning.
You can purchase the DVD of this shoot for $20 at RFVideo.com or purchase the digital download to own at Highspots.com for $9.99 by clicking on the links below:
http://www.rfvideo.com/faceoffvol11-biglipsandshakinghips.aspx
http://www.highspots.com/p/VD_face_off_11_honky_missy.html
And congratulations to poster The Cooler, who won the BoD March Madness Pool. As part of the prize, he gets to choose the next 4 shoot interviews that I recap. So next week, I will review the 1986 WWE Timeline as told by George Steele.
Here is my schedule for the next several days:
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 5/10/87
Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 5/16/87
Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 5/17/87
Thursday: 1986 WWE Timeline as told by George Steele
The interview was conducted by Rob Feinstein
It runs for one hour and forty-five minutes long.
The interview starts with Missy asking Honky what wrestling he watched before getting into the business. Honky said he watched Nick Gulas' Memphis Territory and believed all of what they were selling in regards to diamond rings and limousines. Missy asked him about Gulas' payoffs as Honky said it depends who it is as he talks about how Vince was the same way and that TNA does it as well. Honky then talks about Vince killing the business and how today the underneath guys in TNA are killing it too as they are basically working for free as Missy chimes in on how you have to do that when you are breaking into the business.
Both of them shoot the breeze as they talk about nepotism in wrestling with Honky telling Missy she could be the next Dixie Carter if her daddy owned a wrestling company as Missy jokes that she couldn't because she has a brain.
On Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett breaking away from Gulas to open their own territory, Honky said that they took the guys with them as they offered more money then when Jim Barnett offered more he took those guys from Jarrett and Lawler.
They talk some more about Memphis as Honky mentions all of the guys who sleep with "rats" while married and would get pissed if you mentioned how many they had slept with as Missy said Eddie Gilbert told her that you could always tell how well Memphis was doing by the quality and amount of the rats that would hang out at the arenas. Honky puts over Phil Hickerson as being a great worker and talker and was one tough guy as he would fight for the fun of it, like David Schultz. He was asked about Hogan in Memphis as Honky said he was just breaking in at the time but could tell even then he had it and joked how the saw the "money dripping off of him."
Honky and Missy joke around as Honky tells Missy she wasn't green in the WWF as Jake Roberts "broke her in" as Missy then says it was the other way around. Missy then talks about how she got H-Bombed and did not find out until years later as they then talk about Sam Houston and about what happened to him as they learn he was in jail.
Missy asks Honky about working in Calgary. Honky first does a killer Stu Hart impression then talks about how he bought his "green gimmick" from Smith Hart and how he never messed with cocaine. He said that Bruce Hart would have all sorts of wacky stories about why he did not like different Nationalities. Honky also said that Stu told him that Bruce thought he was "Roman Polanski" and would hang around young girls. Missy then jokes that she was going to ask Bret Hart for his sperm because with her brains and looks and his wrestling abilities they would have a child that could rule the world.
On the Dynamite Kid and if he was a mean-spirited ribber, Honky said that Dynamite would prey on the weak and would do anything if he got away with it until Jacques Rougeau paid him back. Honky said that Dynamite terrorized Terry Taylor. Honky talks about how Dynamite beat himself up by wrestling in Japan and by the late 80's all of the pain he was undergoing made him angry.
Honky is then asked if he is mad about other wrestlers using his gimmicks as he said that everyone in wresting borrows from everyone then talks about how Jake Roberts created the 3:16 gimmick. Missy then adds in a story about Jake as he introduced her boyfriend to him a few years ago and Jake went up to him and shook his balls, saying "nice to meet you."
Feinstein then asks them what wrestling marriages were doomed for failure and which ones surprised you by ending in divorce. Honky jokes that his own marriage lasting surprised him the most, which has lasted for 27 years. Honky then talks about how it is not the business that causes the divorce but that when someone decides to switch from their regular life to that of a wrestler they go into a whole new lifestyle. Honky was shocked that Elizabeth and Savage divorced. They then try to figure out if Flair's newest wife is his 4th or 5th marriage.
They both talk about TNA trying to compete with the WWE on Monday Nights and how they never had a product to compete with the WWE. Honky says why would TNA expect to draw a lot of people on Monday when they draw 400 fans at their house shows. Missy then tells Dixie Carter to think about each segment on Impact and how will it get people to come to the shows or buy the PPV's as she wonders how TNA makes money. Honky then laughs at the notion of Vince Russo changing the wrestling business then questions the decision of running a strip poker segment on TNA's first Monday Night show and how that was a waste of time. They talk about how they have talent but the production is awful and Honky thinks they should fire all of the non-wrestling guys in the back. Honky says TNA is WCW all over again as they are just throwing money away.
Honky is asked about the incident between Matt Borne and Jim Duggan. Honky says he does not know all of the details but the promoter never should have booked two seasoned vets together as they would not cooperate then talks about how no one should ever get into a fight over this "stupid business" as Missy makes fun of guys crying about having to put other people over.
When asked if it is tough to make money at their age on the Independent scene, Honky said that a lot of guys that get cut from the WWE are usually gobbled up quick but that he always reinvents himself and starts to do comic book conventions and car shows along with a rock & roll wrestling tour he is working on at the moment.
He is asked what happened to his Gatorade bottle (Honky was famous for drinking hard booze with the Gatorade) as Honky said he has not had any hard liquor in two years and will only have a few beers here and there as Missy added that she has not had anything in four years. Honky said he was drinking just to pass time on the road and waiting for shows.
Missy talks about Chris Kanyon and his suicide. She feels bad for saying a lot of mean things about him during a shoot interview that they filmed together that had not been released yet. Missy then talks about how he could have had better options for him rather than suicide, even discussing that Kanyon himself in that interview talked about how he had mentioned that he would kill himself all of the time.
Feinstein then asks them what would they tell Dixie Carter if they had a meeting with her. Honky said he would tell her to find something else to do as Missy reiterates about asking Dixie to look at each segment and figure out how will it make her money or get fans to buy the shows and PPV's. Missy then says it is a business to make money as Honky questions why wouldn't you go out an hire a PR firm that knows how to market if you have all of that money and why you would continue to keep the same people around that have no idea what they are doing. They then talk about how they are never going to go after the WWE but can make money by being an alternative.
On their favorites to watch, Honky loved watching the Funks and Harley Race. He also loved hearing King Curtis on interviews. Honky also talks about how he never cared that much about how athletic someone might be or how they looked. Missy talks about Tommy Rich and how hot he was in 1981, saying that he could talk the pants off of the girls.
Honky says he does not follow the product much today but thinks that Randy Orton should be pushed more and that he likes Ted DiBiase Jr. Missy talks about all of the guys in the WWE looking the same with similar tattoos. Honky then talks about how the guest shows are not helping anything and that picking fights with the hosts and announcers will not sell tickets, just the fights between the wrestlers.
About the drug scene and if it was a lot more prevalent when they were in the major companies as compared to today, Honky thinks it is the same as guys can do what they want in the privacy of their own home that you would never know about. Honky said he was unaware of the cocaine problems in the WWF when he was there as he was at the bar of out getting food and not with those guys.
Missy talks about Mickie James and the incident in which her nude photos were posted all over the locker room and how in any other TV company that would constitute as sexual harassment and she could easily file a lawsuit.
On the Iron Sheik and how he is still alive, Honky said its amazing how he is still alive after all of the abuse he has brought on himself mentally and physically, citing the fact that he must have tremendous genes as Missy jokes how he would survive a nuclear bomb.
Honky is asked about the WWE letting Jim Ross go as Honky says that Ross has some sour grapes going on as after all they did to him he is shocked they let him go, noting how Ross also stabbed a lot of people in the back while working for the WWE. Missy adds that Ross is still the best announcer and was a mentor to her in Mid South. Honky then talks about his job in talent relations and how the people who take that position believe they are bigger than the job and says that a certain type of person takes a job that requires you to fire someone for really no reason as Missy talks about the WWE not giving young guys a chance.
When asked if you can still be innovative in wrestling today, Missy said yes and that you have to keep up with the times as wrestling has been on television since the 1950's and will be for years to come as the business goes through lulls. Honky cites a seminar from JBL on how he told perspective wrestlers to stand out from the crowd.
On whether or not MMA will hurt the wrestling business, Missy says no as people watch wrestling for the storylines and not the fights. Honky adds that MMA is different as their merchandise and action figures are not big sellers as a majority of their fans are adults and not children like in wrestling. Honky says that Brock Lesnar will succeed in MMA as he is a character and will be there long if he stays healthy.
When asked about the silliest gimmicks they have seen, Honky says the Gobbledy Gooker as Missy said it was cool and would play that if asked. Missy said the Ding Dongs was the silliest she has seen.
Missy said that the reason crowds are down for Independent shows is due to the fact that they only advertise on the internet as Honky adds that they do a poor job of getting the word out to the fans as sometimes they do not even know you are in town.
They close with being asked about their legacy as Honky talks about he will be remembered for being controversial and most do not know he had a career before going to the WWF as they both joke about how they lived longer than they thought they would.
Final Thoughts: Not a bad interview at all but with these two as the subjects you'd expect a little more in terms of crazy stories. They showed a lot of insight here, especially Missy (which might shock you if not familiar with her on Twitter or past interviews. Her Twitter account is very insightful in terms of wrestling), and there were some funny parts but these two were relatively mild throughout the interview.
But more importantly, these two have settled down and no longer abuse their bodies like they did in the past. Nice to see them both sober after some struggles. And they both seemed in good spirits and in health here too.
A lot of the content here was in regards to Honky's early career, which had Missy asking him all sorts of questions and about TNA's attempt to recreate the Monday Night War (Which was shortly before this was filmed).
I found this to be a solid interview but if you are not interested into their opinions and insights into the above and expected to hear crazy road stories, then I would not recommend this as you would probably be bored, especially at the beginning.
You can purchase the DVD of this shoot for $20 at RFVideo.com or purchase the digital download to own at Highspots.com for $9.99 by clicking on the links below:
http://www.rfvideo.com/faceoffvol11-biglipsandshakinghips.aspx
http://www.highspots.com/p/VD_face_off_11_honky_missy.html
And congratulations to poster The Cooler, who won the BoD March Madness Pool. As part of the prize, he gets to choose the next 4 shoot interviews that I recap. So next week, I will review the 1986 WWE Timeline as told by George Steele.
Here is my schedule for the next several days:
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 5/10/87
Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 5/16/87
Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 5/17/87
Thursday: 1986 WWE Timeline as told by George Steele
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