Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com
Former WWE Champion, former ECW World Heavyweight Champion, & the longest-reigning ECW World Television Champion, “The Whole F’n Show,” Rob Van Dam, was one of the special guests on this past week’s live edition (02/04/08) of Monday Night Mayhem: “The Sixth-Anniversary Special” (presented by Sweet Sunshine Sauces: the official finishing sauce of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio”) — which can be heard in streaming audio every week (hosted by The Big Mosh, Blade, & Mr. DFL and heard LIVE at 8PM ET/7PM CT every Monday night) exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com).
The interview with “Mr. Monday Night” (which was conducted w/The Mayhem Crew, including former ECW official, The Monster Factory’s Jim Molineaux) can now be heard for FREE in Real Audio. In addition, MNM’s sixth-anniversary celebration also features an interview w/the #1 Contender for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship, ODB, plus special appearances from former WWE Diva Search contestant Jessica Hatch, The Mayhem’s very own national WWE correspondent Scott Hudson, along with former WWE Cruiserweight Champion & the father of the reigning ECW Champion, Chavo “Classic” Guerrero, Sr. (who gave his candid takes on his son winning the gold), & Super Bowl XLII Fallout (w/Fathead’s Michael Baird).
February 4th Monday Night Mayhem/Sixth-Anniversary Special (streaming audio): www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/020408.wax
Also, check out the official MNM Podcast Page, presented by VisuWalls, the extreme wall graphic (featuring the 2/4/08 sixth-year anniversary celebration of The Mayhem, in addition to more than 75+ archived editions of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio”). You are able to download your favorite editions of The Mayhem…and listen to them at your own leisure. Another exciting feature for you, our loyal listeners — brought to you by “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio.”
Here are some of the highlights from RVD’s interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem’s official recapper: Lance from San Jose, CA.
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This month, “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” celebrates its sixth-year anniversary. Many of you fans around the world that Monday Night Mayhem has been one of the few audio programs (broadcast or broadband) that have kept the torch burning for those three-all-important letters in wrestling history…E-C-W. It was fitting that The Big Mosh, Blade, & Mr. DFL extended the invitation to a man known as “Mr. Monday Night” to be a part of the most special program of the year for Monday Night Mayhem.
The Big Mosh welcomes RVD to the fun & festivities, and Rob wishes The Mayhem a happy sixth anniversary, and breaks bread on the air with one of his former ECW colleagues, Jim Molineaux. After some catching up between the two of them, Rob replied “It’s a great day to be alive,” but on a completely different note, a good number of RVD’s & Jim’s good friends from the original ECW are no longer with us — including Chris Candido, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Public Enemy, Pitbull #1 Anthony Durante, Big Dick Dudley, & Louie Spicoll — just to name a few.
On the topic of the passing of Louie Spicolli, Jim mentioned how he has had a chance to watch some of the UWF on ESPN Classic recently, how he saw Louie in the ring, and how that automatically reminded him of Rob — as the two of them were very close in ECW. Both Jim & RVD remember the night when they had the ten-bell salute to Louie after he passed away, and Rob to this day misses Louie…as he described his relationship with Louis as “very close,” and that when Spicolli passed away it was “a wake-up call to him,” because he was leading a destructive life. “Holy sh&t..you can die from this?” was the reaction Rob went on record saying he had at that point in his life, so any of the boys he comes across now that are just breaking into the business, he tries to enforce how important & vital it is to make the right decisions in your life.
This April will see the ten-year anniversary of one of the most-important changes in wrestling history: the fateful night @ The Burt Flickinger Center in Buffalo, NY, that saw RVD capture the ECW World Television Championship from the late Bam Bigelow — which began the longest run of the ECW World Television Championship in ECW history. Ironically enough, The Mayhem’s very own Jim Molineaux refereed that match. Mosh & Blade asked Rob if he thought that night in The Mayhem’s hometown would springboard his career to new & unprecedented heights. Rob loved working with Bam Bam, and knew that would have a kick-ass match, but did not have any idea that this would begin an awesome run for him. RVD remembers how Bam Bam was always there for him, and if there was a night to go “balls-out,” this would be the night. Rob also knew firsthand that if anything happened in error during the bout that Bam Bam would have no problems “giving him a receipt” — as many in the business have taken Rob to task for his “working stiff” throughout his career. RVD looks back on that night in Western New York with a lot of fondness, and missed Bam Bam very much…along w/the fallen brethren of the “extreme.”
Rob has given his many of his thoughts of the new vision of ECW, and how it does not resemble the original one in any way, shape, or form — besides maybe a few superstars & the original letters. RVD feels very strongly that Vince McMahon will be continuing “his vision” of ECW as a third brand (as according to Rob, Vince did not think today’s fans would remember the original “extreme”), and again believes that this was never meant to be like the old ECW based on that. Some interesting comments about how Rob sees what is being done to what he helped build years back in Extreme Championship Wrestling by today’s WWE: “The WWE has smothered it into the ground, kicked dirt on top of it, walked on top of it, maybe put lay some cement on top of that it, and added a deck on top of that — with a nice little gazebo. It’s pretty buried.”
The ‘Ham Crew followed up with asking “Mr. Monday Night” about the recently-released Bobby Lashley‘s impact as an ECW World Heavyweight Champion. RVD responded that he despite Bobby being a decent wrestler, the new product of ECW was ultimately doomed to fail — especially when a lot of the original guys found out the news that Lashley would be the new champion of the brand. Despite how much The New Breed was being showcased, the fans wanted the old ECW. RVD then shared an intriguing story about a meeting that took place prior to the December To Dismember PPV, where a meeting was called just to debrief the locker room on Bobby’s push forward as champion, his role, & the “new” vision of ECW. That group meeting was meant for one person mainly: Bobby Lashley.
Jim Molineaux chimed in, and told Rob after a recent Philadelphia Flyers NHL game, he headed on over to Tony Luke’s, and saw some of the fans who always headed to the ECW Arena for the matches, and how they represent a large number of the original ECW faithful that are befuddled about the current product. RVD described that the old ECW was essentially a “war-oriented environment,” and stated his match in the “new ECW era” against Rey Mysterio on the “go-home” television special on USA prior to One Night Stand was fun for him — based on that very fact alone. Rob then added the WWE attempted to pull a “bait & switch” on its fans, hoping to pull in its old-school DVD-purchasing fans, and then change the product in alignment with what appeals to the brainwashed wrestling audience. Rob Van Dam said he was highly excited when the brand resurfaced, but was quickly confused & upset about its new operating terms & direction.
Mosh & Blade asked Rob about the UFC debut of former WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, and whether or not he sees him staying where he is at right now, or eventually make his way back to professional wrestling. RVD stated that Brock was indeed caught by a simple reverse technique, but the referee’s conduct was highly controversial (the referee abruptly paused the fight after Lesnar hit his opponent, Frank Mir, in the back of the head — sans a warning). Rob believes that Lesnar’s market value is definitely high, if not higher to wrestling & other MMA organizations since last weekend’s contest. He sees Brock staying in UFC for the foreseeable future.
While the interview was seeming to wind down at this point, The Big Mosh, Blade, & Mr. DFL threw in a nice surprise into the mix: an unannounced show appearance by underground legend, Rob’s long-time friend, & who many fans & journalists call RVD’s best-ever ECW opponent, Jerry Lynn. Mosh re-hashed their highly acknowledged & unprecedented feud in the original ECW, and asked them if the magic of their work together can ever be brought once again to the forefront. Will be see RVD vs. Jerry Lynn in the WWE or TNA in the future? Well fans: We aren’t giving away the answer in this recap — You have to listen into the interview to find that out! But believe it or not, Jerry & Rob indeed did wrestle again after their spectacular ECW feud on a SmackDown show, where more time was promised to develop the chemistry, but was ultimately cut out of the televised show.
RVD then shared his general lack of interest in the intense WWE schedule — including the rigors of traveling via airplane & the several in-ring matches per week. Rob has all but given up on the thought of subscribing to that kind of intense travel schedule, and said the he has only wrestled twice since his WWE contract expired. Rob & Jerry talked about how integral the elements of fun & passion are, and the presence of these two factors must be readily apparent in order to be successful in their wrestling endeavors. Rob & Jerry agreed on how individuals can still achieve success in wrestling today, which basically hinges on individualism, charisma, dedication, & work ethic. Imitation is unacceptable in their joint perspectives.
In RVD’s first-ever Mayhem appearance, he also gave his uncensored thoughts & takes on the realistic chances of him going to TNA, Paul Heyman’s recent comments in The UK Sun, whether or not “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes taking over the ECW brand can give the program more significance, why he defined the WWE as a “job,” the One Night Stand PPV in New York City when he defeated John Cena & the atmosphere of the crowd @ The Manhattan Center, taking part in the first-ever Elimination Chamber (which we will see two of next Sunday at No Way Out), “The Nature Boy Ric Flair” & his possible final run in the business, comparing World Wrestling Entertainment to Coca-Cola, his takes on the WWE Wellness Policy (and why responsibility & accountability are extremely significant), the follow-up night after his match w/Bam Bam against Mikey Whipwreck in Queens, NY & how he knew at that point he would be a superstar in the business, the “checks & balances” system in wrestling, & more from RVD/Jerry’s on-air reunion — brought to you by “Your home Of Wrestling Radio.”
RVD invites all of his fans around the world to check out his official website (located at www.RobVanDam.com) & his official MySpace page (www.MySpace.com/5StarComics), where you can register for his newest project & webisode series: RVD TV. Have you ever wanted to see “Mr. Monday Night” outside of the squared circle? Now you have the chance to get to know the real RVD, see Rob mingle with his friends (including Samoa Joe, Chris Masters, Bill Alfonso, The Black Eyed’ Peas’ Taboo, & many more), see RVD give controversial thoughts on the issues of today, & take part in his personal instructional workouts. This is reality at its finest…no one scripts this stuff fans. The trailers/promos are just the tip of the iceberg! RVD TV: The perfect Valentine’s Day gift for the wrestling fan in your life.
Recapper’s take on the interview: The interview with RVD was highly enjoyable. I liked how candid & honest he was with The Mayhem Crew. While Rob is more freely available to make show appearances nowadays, his guest spot here was special — considering the fact that he was in a conference call with old ECW originals, Jerry “New Lynn & Jim Molineaux. Check out the show via streaming audio or the MNM podcast/ITunes, it’s a great listen.
*The Mayhem returns to its regularly-scheduled time of 8PM ET/7PM CT this Monday night (February 14th), for its Valentine’s Day Special & the continuation of the celebration that is the six-year anniversary of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio.” Joining The Big Mosh, Blade & Chaz (The Mayhem’s original co-host w/The Big Mosh, in conjunction w/MNM’s anniversary), will be the daughter of the legendary “Texas Tornado” Kerry Von Erich & former WWE developmental talent, Lacey Von Erich. In one of Lacey’s first appearances since parting ways with World Wrestling Entertainment, she will be joining the program to promote her first-ever wrestling match in her home state of Texas, preview what lies ahead for her career, & discuss her life growing up in the business that is professional wrestling.
In addition, we all know that “The Road To WrestleMania XXIV” is really heating up. The Mayhem’s WWE Pay-Per-View preview tag team of Scott Hudson & The Monster Factory’s Jim Molineaux will be back to preview next Sunday night’s No Way Out event in Las Vegas, NV, along with what’s next for the WWE & Friday Night SmackDown in their quest for a new network, & all of the fallout on World Wrestling Entertainment shifting its full-time developmental territory from Ohio Valley Wrestling to Florida Championship Wrestling.
Fans, remember to e-mail your predictions for this Sunday night’s WWE No Way Out Pay-Per-View to The Mayhem to [email protected], MySpace them to www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem, or post them on the official MNM Message Board (located at www.MondayNightMayhem.com). The first place winner (who predicts all of the matches accordingly) will receive an X-BOX 360 copy of WWE’s “SmackDown Vs. RAW 2008” (courtesy: THQ), a $25.00 credit to B. Brown Video (www.BBrownVideo.com: the official wrestling video & DVD distribution company of The Mayhem) & a case of Sweet Sunshine Sauces, and the second place winner will receive a $15.00 credit to B. Brown Video & a case of Sweet Sunshine Sauces…the official finishing sauce of The Mayhem!
We will be opening up The Mayhem Line (presented by The Monster Factory: 716.989.6630), for your calls/questions for Lacey, Scott/Jim, Mosh/Blade/Chaz. Also, feel free to e-mail comments for the guests to [email protected], post them on The Mayhem MySpace (located at www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem), or the MNM Message Board (located at www.MondayNightMayhem.com).
*As we continue to celebrate the new 2008 of The Mayhem & the launch of its seventh season, we strongly all of our fans around the world to support all of our fine advertisers/sponsors (with new advertisers to be announced in the coming weeks/months ahead!):
Sweet Sunshine Hot Sauces (official website: www.SweetSunshine.com): “The official finishing sauce of The Mayhem.” Remember the MNM Beginning-Year Special fans: $3.00 bottles of Sweet Sunshine. It does not get any better than that!
The Monster Factory (official website: www.MonsterFactory.com): Is there someone special in your life that wants to become the next Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Kurt Angle, or “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. Well, you now have the chance to enroll in the official wrestling school of The Mayhem & one of the most respected academies in the world. And are you looking for that perfect post-holiday gift? How about tickets to the weekly Old Time Wrestling shows, located every Saturday at The Monster Factory. Affordable family fun for all ages & for a great price! And mark your calendars…as The Mayhem returns to The Monster Factory & Old Time Wrestling on Saturday afternoon, March 15th.
B. Brown Video (official website: www.BBrownVideo.com): The official video & DVD distributor of The Mayhem…your source for the best in independent footage, the Global Wrestling Federation, the USWA, plus legendary matches from Memphis & Japan!
Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com & www.WrestlingRadioAwards.com
Monday Night Mayhem would like to thank all of our fans around the world for voting for “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” in the 2008 Wrestling Radio Awards. Monday Night Mayhem was the proud recipient of the 2008 WRA for Media Interview Of The Year with “the voice of WWE’s Monday Night RAW,” Jim Ross. In addition, The Mayhem was voted the “Best Booked Show” of 2007 — the second time that we have achieved this honor amongst all broadcast & broadband wrestling radio programming.
Monday Night Mayhem is honored to add these to our other prestigious WRA Awards: 2007’s Media Interview Of The Year (Eric Bischoff w/special guest co-host, Scott Hudson) & 2006’s Female Interview Of The Year (Jackie Gayda).
*All new & old Mayhem listeners can still check out the archived programs/shows of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” from the beginning of 2008 & all of 2007 (including: Chris Jericho, former WWE Women’s Champion Candice Michelle, Nick “U-Gene” Dinsmore, Danny Doring, (in their first post-WWE interviews), “The Instant Classic” Christian Cage, WWE Hall Of Famer/former WWE Champion The Iron Sheik, Howard Stern’s very own Gary The Retard, VH-1 “Best Week Ever’s” Greg Fitzsimmons, Vader, Konnan, The Four Horsemen‘s Tully Blanchard & J.J. Dillon, “The Doctor Of Style” Slick, “The Notorious 187” Homicide, “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal, Kaz, “Showtime” Eric Young, Low-Ki/Senshi, “The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart, a World Class Championship Wrestling roundtable w/Bill Mercer & Gart Hart, “The Wildman” Marc Mero, David “Gangrel” Heath, former WWE Head of Security Jimmy Noonan, The Hart Nation (Julie Hart, Jade Hart, Dallas Hart, Beans Hart, & Blade Hart), the legendary voice of the Mid-Atlantic territory, Bob Caudle, the official Monday Night Mayhem WrestleMania 23 Countdown Special from Detroit’s Hilton Garden Inn, the official Monday Night Mayhem Dream Reunion II On-Location Special from Kokomo, IN — featuring: former WWE Diva search contestant Jessica Hatch, Al Snow, Marty Jannetty, Chavo “Classic” Guerrero Sr., “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Rosey, The Midnight Express (“Loverboy” Dennis Condrey & “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton), “The Genius” Lanny Poffo, & The Orient Express’ Pat Tanaka, & our “Best Of 2007” show (featuring the top three interviews of 2k7 heard on The Mayhem)…all now available on www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com.
As we celebrate our sixth anniversary, Monday Night Mayhem wishes to thank our loyal fans around the world who have helped us get to where we are at now and for your continued dedication, loyalty, & support.
From The Big Mosh, Blade, & Mr. DFL, have a safe, blessed, & healthy new year in 2008.