Lance Storm Latest Commentary; Updated Bonus Matches WWE Unforgiven PPV Webcast; Ed Leslie & Family Raise $$ For Hurricane Katrina Victims
Special thanks to Brian for sending us the alert. Last week we posted the 'Bonus Matches' you will receive if you order the WWE Unforgiven PPV webcast. When we posted the matches, apparantly WWE.com has listed last years matches still on the site. Even though the banners and ordering info all referenced this year's PPV.
The matches have since been updated, and this is the list of matches you will receive if you order the Webcast:
- WWE Unforgiven 2003: Triple H vs. Goldberg
- WWE Unforgiven 2004: Chris Jericho vs. Christian
- WWE Unforgiven 2002: Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle
- WCW Fall Brawl, 9/14/97: Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Jericho
- NWA Clash of the Champions, 9/7/88: Sting vs. Barry Windham
- ECW As Good As It Gets, 9/20/97: Beulah & Tommy Dreamer vs. RVD & Bill Alfonso
- NWA Clash of the Champions, 9/12/89: Sting & Ric Flair vs. Dick Slater & The Great Muta
The following Q&A is courtesy of StormWrestling.com:
Q: When are you going to do a new Q and A??? I have been checking your site daily for 2 weeks?? Anyways here is a quick one, Had you ever met the Legion of Doom(Road Warriors)?
A: You need to cut me a little slack, I’ve been busy getting Storm Wrestling Academytm up and running. I’ve met both of them but Animal only the once. I first met Hawk in Graz Austria working for Otto Wanz (1993) and then again in 1994 in SMW. I then saw the two of them together at a RAW. Hawk was very cool, but I didn’t get to really meet or get to know Animal.
Q: While watching my One Night Stand DVD, I noticed that the ring was a 20 foot WWE ring, and not the 18 foot ECW ring. I was wondering if you heard of any difficulties with the ring from ECW workers who hadn't wreslted in WWE, and also if you know why they chose to use the larger ring.
A: You noticed incorrectly. That ring was custom made for the event and was ECW all the way. Cable for ropes and the smaller size.
Q: I thought you once talked about the book The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. I just watched the great movie adaptation of the book, and was wondering if you have seen it, and if so, what are your thoughts.
A: I thought the movie was decent but I didn’t like how in wandered from the TV Mini Series. I really disliked Zaphod in the Film. Mark Wing Davey was WAY better.
Q: I was wondering if you watch WWE at all now since retirement and what you thought of the current state of their programming.
A: I still watch the product, and likely always will. Like always there are parts of the shows I love and others I disagree with. The thing that is most screwy now is Canada still gets SD on Thursdays so we get it a day before you guys down south.
Q: What do you and/or other guys do in the arean to pass the time before/during shows?
A: We all do different things. A lot of guys nap, others listen to music, I read. To each his or her own.
Q: Did you like working with RVD, I remember hearing how some guys did not enjoy it, becasue of his all out style.
A: For the most part I liked working with Rob. Rob’s matches are very physical (especially in ECW) so long house show loops with him took their toll. I can see how some guys wouldn’t want to work with him on smaller house shows all the time, but for the big ones it’s great to have a guy who will go all out.
Q: thoughts on guys like RVD who will pull off huge spots, like sentons to the floor at shows with 200 people? for fans it is good, but career-wise seems harmfull.
A: A lot of that comes down to having someone you trust underneath you, but yes it will shorten your career, so it is a questionable decision.
Q: In your teaching, will you use video?
A: Sure I will, I think it is important, at times, to illustrate your points. It’s also important to be able to watch yourself back while learning. It’s hard to learn how to sell properly without seeing yourself do it.
Q: Do you think guys can learn from watching film of other workers.
A: I sure did. I studied tapes endlessly. I would watch how different guys did things and then try to figure out why some guy’s stuff looked better. When I figured out what they were doing different I would try to do it that way. Some guy’s clotheslines look great while others look week. I studied tapes to figure out why.
Q: In an old commentray you mentioned a lot of matches, and it struck me that a lot of them you had not seen, is that true of a lot of guys? (meaning is it not fun to watch wrestling, when it is what you do)
A: I think it is totally true of other guys. I was very busy in ECW and WCW during a lot of the Attitude era, so I missed a lot of it. 6 month of 1993 I was in Europe without a TV, so that is a huge blank spot for me. We only have so much free time. When I was in ECW, I couldn’t watch Raw, SD, Nitro, Thunder, and 2 PPVs a month in addition to keeping up with my own ECW product.
Q: Any plans to teach any type of mic work/promo's in you lessons.
A: I definitely plan to teach promo skills. I’ve got plans as well to bring Don Callis (Cyrus from ECW) in for a day to offer his knowledge, for my first group of trainees.
Q: There are rumors of a ECW vs. WCW type PPV, if you were to choose, which company would you side with?
A: I doubt there is any validity to the rumour but if it happened, I think I would have to side with ECW, that is the company I am likely more associated with.
Q: How big of a fan are you of the Dynamite Kid? And for those of us who are unaware of his style and matches, what exactly made him so special, different, and influential?
A: I loved the Dynamite Kid, he was so ahead of his time. The athletic level of his matches was amazing. He had an intensity and believability to his stuff that was amazing.
Q: Lance, what were your top three wrestling cities worldwide?
A: Wow this is tough. I have to go with Calgary, Halifax, and maybe Chicago. There are so many great ones. Toronto is awesome, so is New York, Buffalo, Moncton, Hanover Germany was great to me.
Q: On October 1, TNA launches its weekly program on Spike TV while RAW moves to the USA network. What are three things that you think TNA should do to in their first few episodes to capture the attention of the WWE audience?
A: I think they need to feature guys like AJ who can grab viewer’s attention quicker. Guys who are thought of as ‘former’ WWE guys won’t offer as fresh a feel to channel surfers. It’s important to have strong angles and matches. When testing a new product people can give up quickly, so a few bad segments can hurt a lot.
Q: Any comment on Chris Jericho's hiatus/departure from wrestling?
A: I think he deserves his time off and I couldn’t be happier for him. He has gone almost non-stop for 15 years, it’s a wonder he is even still sane.
Q: I have been a huge Bret Hart fan since the 80's and I have been watching several of his matches in the last few weeks. One thing has really stood out to me. I notice that Bret almost entirely breathes through his mouth during his matches, and I was wondering why, and did that really effect his cardio and conditioning for his in ring work? Also I was curious about your thoughts on Tammy Sytch and her recent outburst at the Wrestlereunion show.
A: Most athletes end up breathing through their mouths when competing so I don’t see how Bret is any different. I didn’t hear Tammy’s comments.
Q: What matches do you remember getting hurt in?
A: I remember a match in Calgary with Jason Helton in 1993, when I had a small quad tear. I thought it was my knee. It laid me up for almost 10 weeks, my longest time off with an injury. I of course finished the match.
Q: Do you hurt a little after every match or does it depend on the circumstances and opponent?
A: You don’t hurt after words if you are working with the right people. Jerry Lynn and I could work every night of the week, and feel great afterwards.
Q: What wrestling storylines or angles(Lance Storm related) were your favorites?
A: The urine test angle I did with Dreamer is likely my favourite.
Q: What wrestling storylines or angles(Not Lance Storm related) were your favorites?
A: This covers toooo much ground, there are so many.
Q: Would you describe yourself as a modern or old fashioned guy?
A: I assume you mean as a wrestler, and I think I am right in between. I like to think I have a little of the best of both worlds.
Q: Do you watch any of The Ultimate Fighter on Spike?
A: Nope, but I will be watching TNA next month, on Spike.
Q: What sports would you find it impossible to watch?(Formaula 1, golf etc?)
A: I don’t watch any sports. I’ve never been a sports fan. They’re all fake anyways!!!!
Q: Who are the most underrated wrestlers around right now?
A: Christian.
Q: Charlie Hass buried Dave Lagana in a recent interview, how did you get on with him?
A: With who Charlie or Dave? I actually was friendlier with Dave to be honest. Charley and I were never on the same show, so I don’t really know him.
Q: Do you actually like Fozzy’s music?
A: Believe it or not, I do. I’m not a huge music buff, so I don’t listen to Fozzy often, but I enjoy his stuff when I do. Live they are great. Don’t judge them on the RAW performances either. I thought they sounded awful when they played live at RAW or SD. I saw them at a club in Calgary once and they were amazing.
Q: What Pilates video do you use? How often do you do Pilates?
A: I try to do my Pilates 4 times a week. The DVD I use is a 10 minute workout thing (not sure the exact name) I do a 10 minute flexibility routine and then a 10 abdominal routine. My back went from feeling like I was 60 to 20 again.
Q: I was a big fan of the Impact Players. You and Justin Incredible was one of the best tag team I have seen in the short time I watch ECW. I was wonder how came the WWE never pick up the Impact Players when they had you, Dawn Marie, and Justin Incredible in the company?
A: The gave us a chance once, and unfortunately Justin was not on his game at the time. I’ll cover this way more in depth in my book. (I’m still working on it and it may happen sooner than later.
Q: Oh and what do you miss most about ECW and WCW?
A: I miss the fun of the boys in ECW, booking with Paul (the greatest joy of my career). WCW I miss the security and comfort. I miss the atmosphere too. There were a great bunch of guys there at that time.
Q: I just finished reading Ric Flair's book "To Be the Man". In it, Ric was very critical of Eric Bischoff. I understand that many other wrestlers have had personal problems with Bischoff from his WCW days, including Chris Jericho and Steve Austin. How did Bischoff make amends when he came to the WWE? Did Vince instruct all the "boys" to get along with him or be fired? Why doesn't anyone just kick his ass?
A: The boys can be very professional when need be. You deal with a lot of people you don’t like in the business on your way up, it’s not worth holding a grudge too long, and lets face it most of us who worked for Eric made a lot of money from him. You can’t hate him too much (LOL). I think Flair did hit him once.
Q: I have been wondering this for years,,,when WWE comes to Michigan, they seem to 99.9% of the time work Joe Louis Arena ( fo rmajor shows such as RAW) in Detroit. I was wondering,,,is there somethign contractual keeping them from The palace of Auburn Hills, a MUCH nicer arena,,,that would probably draw bigger crowds?
A: Generally speaking there is a contract with a building which covers a certain number of events and is exclusive, so once you start running one building you can’t switch around.
Q: Even though they weren't really WWE/F talent…do you think (since it’s the only well known one ) the WWE HOF would ever /should ever induct guys such as Nick Bockwinkel, Greg/Verne Gagne, Larry Zbysko etc...The AWA played a huge part of wrestling history and gave starts to a lot of talent...ie. Midnight Rockers.....?
A: I think they opened the door for this when they inducted Harley Race. Based solely on his WWF days he doesn’t deserve to be in there. If you look at his entire career he certainly does. I think the WWE Hall Of Fame is becoming more the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Q: Would you seriously consider offers to wrestle against your students on a major US indy like TNA or ROH if it meant more exposure for your students?
A: It wouldn’t wouldn’t’ have to be a major US show. I might consider it anywhere if it helped out some of my students that I felt deserved it. I’ve be tossing the idea around in my head for a ‘Beat the Teacher’ Battle Royal. Where my student work a Battle Royal and the winner gets a shot at working the ‘Teacher’ later in the show. This is juts speculation for down the road.
Q: Have you had a moment in the ring, or even outside the ring, in which you thought: damn it, what the hell am I doing here (in this wrestling business)?!
A: Not really, no. I had a hip pointer once in my first year and couldn’t walk the next day. I thought my hip was broken and my career was over. I remember thinking. Now what the hell do I do.
Q: And I guess this is more a question for your Q&A perhaps but do you think the WWE actually did any tapings of house shows back in 1992 or in the present for that matter so that they would have footage of Bret winning the title in Saskatoon?
A: I remember seeing clips of the finish so they had a camera there that night. I would think with a Major title chance like that they got it on tape, and have it somewhere.
Q: I wanted to ask your opinion on locker room politics. Do you feel certain wrestlers have more pull than others?
A: Of course they do. Like every sport the star players have more pull. Didn’t Michael Jordan at one point insist on a specific coach for the team. If you have more to offer you have more pull.
Q: My question…If you could have pitched something to creative at WWE, and knew for sure they would listen and integrate it into your character, what would you have had them do? For example, when they let Austin and Rock run with their ‘characters’ they shown brightly. What would you have done? I think you could have easily been the next Bret hart!
A: I had pitched Ideas to creative, but it would take too long to get into all of that here.
Q: My question is, is there anything wrong with full body workouts? I remember reading in some of my old Muscle & Fitness mags way back about some full body routines, but I'm wondering if it's more harmful to the body than good these days.
A: I’ve heard a lot of guys do this (not wrestlers). It is a good way to hit your whole body lightly at once and thus limit the number of training days you have per week. The problem with it is, you can’t usually train the muscles as heavy or hard, because you will burn out before you are done. So if you want to train heavy to grow this method is a poor choice. If you are just interested in staying toned and getting some exercise, this can work for you.
Q: Do you think that Bret Hart should be inducted in to the Hall of Fame next year at Wrestlemania 22? Also who else do you think should be?
A: I don’t think it should matter when, but he belongs there, yes. Bruno needs to be in, regardless of whether he accepts or not. Randy Savage belongs.
Q: WHY DO YOU THINK THAT VAL VENIS (CHEIF MORLEY) IS NOT PUSHED MORE?
A: I think Val’s gimmick has hampered him, and the fact that he is too easy going and doesn’t fight for his spot enough. The Val Gimmick ran it’s course and left him stranded for a long time. They then got behind him with Chief Morley and he was doing great. Then unfortunately the mistake was made to make him Val again, and I think that ship has sailed. They should have left him as Sean Morley while he had all that heat as the Chief.
Q: IS THERE ANY WAY TO GET A PICTURE OF YOU?
A: I’ve been asked to start selling photos on the site, but the problem is all of the good quality Promo Shots I have are WWE/WCW/ECW shots and are copy righted.
Q: I FORTUNATELY GOT TO SEE YOU ONE TIME BEFORE YOU RETIRED. IT WAS MY ONLY WWE LIVE EVENT YOU WRESTLED KEVIN FERTIG AND TYSON TOMKO IN COLUMBU OHIO IN DECEMBER OF 03. WHY WERE YOU ALWAYS SET FOR ENHANCEMENT TALENT?
A: For the most part that was Val and My spot. They weren’t investing in us but respected our abilities enough to want us to carry and help teach the younger guys they were trying to bring up. I think we did such a good job it came back to bite the office in the @$$. We carried the young guys to real solid matches, so they were then ‘brought up’ to TV and worked other young guys and didn’t fair well. Most of them got sent back down afterwards. Maybe they should have just invested in Val and I as a team. (HMMMM)
Q: IS THERE ANY MATCH IN ECW THAT WILL STICK OUT IN YOUR MIND AS YOUR FAVORITE BESIDES ONE NIGHT STAND?
A: Anarchy Rules, with Jerry Lynn. The Street Fight Dreamer and I did on PPV. The Arena match with Jado and Geto.
Q: DO YOU THINK THAT THERE WILL EVER BE A VIABLE WOMEN'S DIVISION AGAIN?
A: I certainly do. Things tend to cycle in wrestling. It will go back to that eventually.
Q: OPINOINS OF TRISH STRATUS?
A: I have a lot of respect for Trish. She busted her @$$ to become a talented wrestler when she didn’t’ have to. She is tough!
Q: WILL YOU STILL CONTINUE TO DUE COMMENTARIES AND Q+A'S AFTER THE SWA OPENS? PLEASE?
A: Absolutely!!!!
Q: Jumping Jim Brunzell, Bob Holly, HBK, Randy Orton or yourself. Who has the best drop kick? my vote is you..
A: My vote is for me too, but my opinion may be bias.
Q: Opponents looses a match when their hands drop 3 times in a hold such as the sleeper, but why in the master lock challenge (or when he puts it on during a match) a opponents loose the match when their hands drop once?
A: Good question? I don’t know
Q: Have you ever seen a A.J. Styles match and if you have were you impressed and Do you think Christian will have main event status anytime soon?
A: Nothing recent, but that will change when TNA hits Spike in October. As for Christian, unfortunately I doubt it.
Q: In your opinion, how far will CM Punk's straight edge gimmick/lifestyle get in WWE?
A: It’s his life style it shouldn’t’ effect his career. I didn’t label my life style but his is basically the same as mine, and I don’t think it hurt me.
Q: Everytime I ask any trainer how to lose the belly they always tell me: do cardio and watch what u eat, especially DONT drink beer. I cant help but wonder...How did Stone Cold got away with it then!!!...I know he drank beer as a "character" but hey! doing shows 4 or 5 times a week, he must have drank at least 1 or 2 beers every night on stage (which is more than what I drink). And he didnt have a belly at least not like mine!!!!....how did he do it??
A: Steve was doing a hard 30 minutes in the ring every night and working out at the gym on top of that. Steve was working so hard, he could have likely burned anything off.
Q: What do you seem to have against Winnipeg? I saw in one of your articles that you made a derogatory remark regarding the city (I believe that you were likening an American city and you said that it was not a compliment). We have produced one of the greatest champions in professional wrestling (Chris Jericho) and have also been a training ground for many future champions as well.
A: Winnipeg is just tooo damn cold, in the winter. Plus it’s road structure is terrible. It’ takes you forever to drive anywhere in that city. Plus Don Callis lives ther and he is a huge pain in the @$$.
Q: I've been a wrestling fan for a good while now and can recall your days in Smokey Mountain Wrestling teamed with Chris Jericho. I can recall a time you two had a match and Jericho had broken his arm. I brought this up to my father and he said it was a work and I had to disagree. Was the broken arm the real thing or a work?
A: He legit broke his arm that afternoon. He had surgery for the following morning and had a steel plate and 7 screws put in his arm.
Q: Did you decide on the tag team name of Matt Cappotelli and Johnny Jeter or did someone else come up with it? And do they put you in mind of you and Jericho from your tag team days
A: Cornette gave Jericho and I the name, and it was his call to recycle it and give it to Jeter and then Capotelli. Jeter reminds me of Jericho more than Cap does me.
Q: Your last appearance in a video game is Day of Reconing for the Gamecube. In it you have that awful dance music from the aftermath of the "boring" gimmick and they have you dancing very badly as you make your entrance. Your skill points are also set way too low. Which is the bigger injustice?
A: At least with the low skill points people will be less likely to chose me so maybe the gimmick can die the death it needs to.
Q: When you're in the gym, do you usually keep a workout journal-- recording weight, sets, reps, etc. or do you train more instinctively as to how you feel on that particular day. Also, will the specifics of your routine ever be put back up on the site?
A: I never wrote anything down at the gym, I always trained how I felt that day. I doubt I will get the detailed routine back up. I’d have to completely re-write it.
Q: In your opinion, was the impact the death of kayfabe had on wrestling more positive or negative? Why?
A: It has certainly had both but I think on the whole a more positive effect. The industry is more accepted now that it is in the open and thus has a larger fan base.
Q: At what point did you realize that being a professional wrestler was your career, as opposed to what you did until you were forced to get a "normal" job?
A: 1993 when I got booked in Europe for Otto Wanz. That was the year I actually earned my living from wrestling.
Q: My favourite all-time wrestler has and always will be Sting, my question is how we he like backstage and did you have any meaningful conversations with him?
A: I genuinely liked Sting, and had a couple in depth conversations with him. The most memorable was in a Hotel Fitness room. I have a lot of respect for Sting.
Q: I know you're married and that this might get you in trouble but in all your years in the business which of the women you've worked with is the most beautiful (in your opinion) in real life? (i.e. without all the layers of make-up, hoochie clothes, and air brushing).
A: I think Nora (Molly Holly) is one of the prettiest of the bunch. Even with her head shaved she was still very pretty.
Q: Let's say the WWE decided to put out a DVD about you and your career (This is an idea I think they should very much look into). Assuming they asked you to be involved, what matches and moments from you career would you include?
A: I’ll work backwards off the top of my head.
One Night Stand with Jericho
Regal and I vs. The Duds from MSG (house show)
Christian and I defeat Hogan and Edge for the Tag Titles
Christian and I vs Booker and Goldust (Summer Slam)
Storm – Edge Summer Slam
Storm – Angle (SD promo and match)
Storm – Rock (Promo with Booker Wee and match)
Highlights of US Title tournament
Highlights of both Cruiser Weight and Hardcore Title wins.
Storm – Booker T (First World Title Shot)
Storm – Sting
Storm- Lynn (Anarchy Rules)
Storm – Candito (As Good As it Gets)
Impact Players – Jado Geto
Storm – Dreamer (Street Fight PPV, Urine test promo to set it up)
That’s 15 not a bad Start
Keep those questions coming, and please be as brief as possible long emails are hard to pull questions out of.
Lance
The following article is courtesy of The Winchester Star. It's a really nice read, especially since it leaves us with a better feeling about Ed Leslie (Brutus Beefcake) following last year's incident.
Hulkamania runs wild
Ambrose Elementary School third-grader Alana Leslie is a passionate animal lover who happens to have wrestling in her blood. Her father is Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, and her uncle and godfather is Hulk Hogan.
While watching footage of Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Alana began to feel bad for both the people and animals who were victims of one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history.
She talked to her mom, Barbie, about what could be done to help, and it was decided a fund raiser could be held where pictures of her uncle and father were sold. Alana pitched the idea to Hogan, and he guaranteed to match whatever she raised and donate it to victims, those with four and two legs.
On Saturday, the fund raiser was held in front of D'Agostino's Delicatessen on Waterfield Road, with money raised going to either the Humane Society or Red Cross.
"Alana is a child who doesn't wont for lots of things," said Barbie.
"We're not asking her to give money out of her own pocket, but rather to just give something back."
Along with several of her friends, Alana dressed in the traditional Hulk Hogan colors of red and yellow, encouraging people to purchase an autographed picture or just make a donation. Ed Leslie, also known as Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake, was there as well, accompanied by his famous pair of shears.
"He had some takers for people who wanted to get their haircut," said Barbie.
The event raised $562, which was doubled by Hogan, bringing the total to $1,024. Barbie said she spoke with Hogan, who told her he was proud of Alana and her idea to help animals affected by the hurricane.
"He told me anytime Alana does any kind of fund raising, he'll be there to support her," said Barbie.
Part of the idea to help aid animals as well as people arose several months ago when the Leslie's family dog died because of a brain tumor. Barbie said the death made them realize how much the family dynamic can change with the loss of a pet.
"When the hurricane hit, we imagined how awful it must have been to not have your house anymore," she said. "But to not be able to take your pet with you (to a shelter) is tough on a family too."
Alana's love for animals was passed on to her by her mother and her aunt, Linda Hogan. Alana has always had some type of pet, and frequently watches Animal Planet. One year for Christmas, she asked her parents if they could adopt an elephant as a gift. Barbie found a program in England that allows you to do just that, and Emily the elephant has been a member of the Leslie family ever since.
Barbie said the Hogan household was also a place where Alana learned to nurture and care for animals.
"When she was younger, Alana used to ask to visit Uncle Zoo for the day (referring to Hogan)," said Barbie.
Originally, the Leslies were going to hold the fund raiser in front of their home a few days after the hurricane hit with autographed pictures and balloons. Instead, D'Agostino's Delicatessen owner Ralph D'Agostino offered the sidewalk in front of his business as a good spot to attract donations.
"The line is already out the door at D'Agostino's on a Saturday, we thought we might as well get it out the door and up the street," said Barbie.
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