 Show: The Interactive Interview
Guest: Sonny Onoo
Date: 11/23/08
your Hosts: Patrick Kelley, Nick Noel, & James Walsh
A year ago we brought you Sunny, this year we bring you Sonny! Sonno Onoo
that is!
Onoo has a reputation that some immediately sigh about and it all stems from
his lawsuit against World Championship Wrestling over racial discrimination.
This interview, lasting over 40 minutes in length, should silence those
criticisms as he explains why he sued and what grounds he had to back up
his claims.
Plus, find out how Onoo went from being one of the toughest
martial artists on the planet to playing a relatively small guy manager in
the wild world of pro wrestling!
This interview really is worth listening to!
SONNY ONOO
- James welcomes Sonny to the show and Sonny admits that
he is very thankful and surprised that so many wrestling fans still remember
him. "I am just so happy to be a part of one of the great wrestling resurgence
periods...It was a great time for wrestlers"
- Onoo originally started with Karate & Kickboxing which is where he
met Eric Bischoff. He says that Bischoff actually was a pretty good fighter.
He really enjoyed it: "We get to fight without getting trouble"!
- Sonny joked that there wasn't much money in the game
then and that being ranked #1 for a few years in the late 70's and early
80's was especially great because not only did he get to fight but he even
could pay his bills.
- He came to WCW through Bischoff. Because he was from
Tokyo, Sonny was used to help mend the relationship between WCW & New
Japan.
- He had a lot of fun playing a character on TV. He says that it might have
been difficult for those who knew him through Karate to understand what he
was doing. He got to do alot in the Karate world, and addibng wrestling to
it was fun for him.
- He would have loved to get involved MMA if it was a big deal when he was
originally coming up. He was familiar with amatuer wrestling as well and
say MMA is something he would have liked to try. On another side note, he
mentions that Eric Bischoff took up karate because he blew his knee out,
but before that he was a pretty good amatuer wrestler.
- When asked if his knowledge in Karate ever served him in the wrestling
world, he says that he once put Ernest Miller in an Ankle Lock and got him
to tap. He puts over Miller as a great friend from wrestling. He says that
Miller is still participating in Karate competitions.
- He managed many guys, mostly foreign wrestlers many because he was their
mouthpiece. But when he was paired with Ernest Miller, he could just lay
back and have fun with it.
- James brings up the Al Green skit that Sonny did with Miller. Sonny says
that there was a whole series of skits they wanted to do. For example, when
Miller wrestled Prince Iaukea, he wanted to do something using Prince's Purple
Rain.
- His experience with WCW was "riding a big tsunami that we got to have fun
with" He still keeps in touch with many of the guys he worked with during
that time.
- When asked about Perry Saturn and any clues to his current whereabouts,
he says that the last he heard Perry was in Minnesota training young amatuer
wrestlers. That was about two years ago. Sonny says that Perry was always
a good friend and he helped Perry out during some financial troubles that
he had. He also says that Saturn was probably too nice for his own good.
- Sonny is then asked about his departure from WCW, the lawsuit. He says
that basically what happened is that Vince Russo made it clear that he had
no intention of using many foreign wrestlers, and was moving to push American
wrestlers. Sonny says this was even stated and recorded on an episode of
WCW Live!, the company's live internet show that ran from 1999 through 2001,
where Russo guested and made those views perfectly clear. Sonny had just
signed a two year deal, so when he was terminated, he felt that something
needed to be done.
- In wrestling, he says that wrestlers are treated like
employees, yet they are classified as independent contracters, meaning that
there are no benefits. Onoo then points out that if they are classified as
independent contracters, then they should be able to work whereever they
want.
- When asked about the negative reputation he has for being a part of the
lawsuit, Sonny says that he was out to try and benefit all the wrestlers
and not just himself. He feels that the comapanies should make an attempt
to take care of their guys.
- Sonny has signed to appear at the K&S Fan Fest in New Jersey on January
10, 2009 along side Ernest Miller. He is amazed at how many people remember
him from his wrestling days as people still ask for autographs. He says it
isn't all that out of the ordinary for someone to show up at his car dealership
looking to meet him and get something signed. He says he's happy to do it
and feels grateful for being remembered.
- The Celebrity Championship Wrestling Show is brought up and Sonny says
that the show is entertaining. He also says that if Hogan & Bischoff
ever start up their own wrestling show, he'd be happy to help out if he is
asked ot come in.
- Eric Bischoff still contacts Onoo to this day but now it is usually when
Bischoff is at a particularly good sushi restaurant. Apparently Bischoff
has a thing for calling Onoo while eating there to let him in on how good
it is.
- He has his own Car Dealership in Ohio named XTC Cars.
Right now he is liking it, but his true passion is amatuer wrestling.
- As usual with our guests, Onoo is asked about the Chris
Benoit situation and the media's attack on wrestling. He says that he knew
Benoit well going back to the deal with New Japan where guys him Benoit,
Malenko, Guerrero, Jericho, and many Cruiserweights were brought into WCW.
It bothered him that the press pounced on wrestling the way they did. As
for what happened, Onoo says that he remembers Chris is the loving nice guy
that loved his kids. He doesn't know what happened.
- Sonny says that he feels wrestling will make a comeback. Things go in cycles,
and he thinks in a few years it'll be back to where it was.
- Madusa, by the way, is on the market again. She took
the former NFL player to the cleaners, says Sonny.
- Word Associations: Listen to Sonny's views on guys like Ultimo Dragon,
Madusa, & Eric Bischoff!
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