Larry Zbyszko is "The Living Legend" of professional
wrestling. From his memorable feud with Bruno Sammartino to his lawsuit with
the WWE, James covers it in an interview conducted well before The Interactive
Interview was a reality!
Also on the show is the very first interview James has
ever conducted. This interview is with Stephanie "Trinity"
Finochio.
"The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko
Growing
Up:
Growing up, Larry
was the
biggest wrestling fan. He thinks that is why he became such a good wrestler.
Meeting Bruno:
Bruno Sammartino was his hero. He walked through his hedges to meet him and
did.
Training:
After college, Larry trained with Bruno. Heavy weights and such.
Joining the WWWF:
Larry was brought in as Bruno's under study. Larry says they were big shoes
to fill, like if your dad was a wrestler, but he thinks he lived up to it.
The betrayal:
Larry says that the betrayal angle he did with Bruno was done right and that
made people just have to watch it. He says that if such care was put into
angles today, wrestling wouldn't be doing the ratings it is.
The AWA:
Larry says the AWA was the last of the territories. He says the best part
of the AWA was the pay offs. "Guys working the opening match at Madison Square
Garden may get $500. Guys working for the AWA may get $1,500."
The fall of the AWA:
"The business was changing and they didn't believe in the change."
Arn Anderson:
"Arn was a classic." He talks about how his "stalling" drove Arn crazy. Funny
stuff.
Becoming an announcer:
Fond and funny memories of the late Gordon Solie.
Working Lord Steven Regal:
Larry likes that I stressed "at the time" for the numbers the feud drew.
He says Regal is a natural heel. "Regal would come out and the people would
just hate him. Talk about stalling, he was better than me!"
The NWO:
"After the NWO came in, we became a big deal. They bought us our own building.
If AOL weren't a bunch of snivelling idiots..." More on that later.
1997 Pay Per View Matches:
Larry says that the reason the pay per views he wrestled at in 1997 and 1998
drew so well because it simply told a story the right way, just like working
Bruno.
On Sting:
"Sting was just so bad at the end of the blond hair colorful pants gimmick.
He'd cut a bad promo, pound his chest, have a bad match, and then scream
like Flair. That's all he did. So, we shut him up and lowered him from the
roof."
The fall of the NWO:
"They just stopped doing it the right way and started doing it the "NEW"
way. It became filthy and raunchy and not long after it got thrown off the
air and sold for peanuts."
On Vince Russo:
"I knew it was going to die. Everybody was chanting "Goldberg, Goldberg,
Goldberg." So, who had the title? The stupid writer, Russo."
The Sale:
"I knew they were going to sell it. I can't believe they sold the entire
archives for peanuts. 2.5 million? That's like a dollar. Do you know how
many TV shows you can get from that footage? Idiots. Complete idiots."
Life after Wrestling:
"Well, I play a lot of golf and am living happily ever after in Larry Land.
But, wrestling isn't over yet for me."
On working NWA Total Nonstop Action:
Larry says it was something that was in the works for a while and was a lot
of fun.
On AJ Styles:
Larry says AJ is a good wrestler and hopes that they realize putting him
in the ring with AJ will help AJ out in the long run. "It takes a somebody
to make a somebody."
Word Associations:
Sherri Martel: "Oh, a real fun chick."
Andre the Giant: Funny stories!
Bobby Heenan: Hysterical stories!
Sting: "A good guy. Never could figure out his gimmick but he could looked
kind of flashy and could jump around like a son of a gun."
Hulk Hogan: "Hulk lied to me in his book. I'd like to prove to him that I
am still his hero."
Chris Jericho: "He needs to realize that you can't steal somebody else's
livelihood."
And finally, A Book?:
"I've got a hell of a story to tell. How wrestling follows life even where
the good guys became the bad guys and the bad guys became the good guys.
I just don't have the final chapter yet. Maybe when the depositions are over,
I'll write one and the fans will get a hell of a story."
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