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Former WWWF Heavyweight Champion, “The Living Legend” Bruno Sammartino, was one of the special guests on this past week’s live edition (03/17/08) of Monday Night Mayhem (presented by Sweet Sunshine Sauces) — which can be heard in streaming audio every week (hosted by The Big Mosh, Blade, & 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).

Bruno’s interview can now be heard for FREE in Real Audio.

March 17th Monday Night Mayhem (streaming audio): www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/032008.wax
Also, check out the official MNM Podcast Page, presented by VisuWalls, the extreme wall graphic (featuring the 03/17/08 edition of The Mayhem, in addition to more than 85+ 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 “The Living Legend”‘s first Mayhem interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem’s senior show correspondents, Dan “Ho-Ju” Kriegbaum & Darren “DFL” Szalanski.

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Prior to the start of the interview, DFL proudly introduces “The Living Legend” as the first inductee into the Monday Night Mayhem Hall Of Fame & the Class Of 2008. We encourage all fans around the world to listen to “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” this Monday night (March 24th beginning at 8PM ET/7PM CT) & The Mayhem’s WrestleMania XXIV Countdown Special (March 30th, beginning at 11AM ET/10AM CT), as we announce more inductees into the hallowed halls of the Monday Night Mayhem Hall Of Fame. Bruno said he was “flabbergasted” by the tremendous honor.

Bruno mentioned that he had a great Saint Patrick’s Day this past week, nothing that “everyone is a little Irish” one time per year. On the topic of Saint Patrick’s Day, The Big Mosh asked Bruno if there was room on the table for both corned beef & cabbage (two St. Patty’s Day staples), as well as spaghetti. Bruno laughed, and said that it was “salmon day,” so he did not have an opportunity to enjoy either of the meals mentioned. He then added that he still has his fair share of pasta, however, since he came from Italy, and still enjoys it at least once a week. Bruno then explained why he keeps his weight down to 220 lbs. The reasoning is because that he works out six days/week, and he feels that if he can maintain he weight that the healthier he would be.

As Mosh & DFL begin to discuss the upcoming WWE Hall Of Fame Ceremonies next weekend, Blade shifted the gears of the interview by asking Bruno who he sees as a stand-out performer in today’s era of wrestling. Bruno said that due to the “drastic change” that Vince McMahon has put on the wrestling business, he has been “appalled” at how it has turned — with the vulgarity, nudity, & the “Kiss My Butt” club segments. He added that he refuses to watch wrestling now, so he has “never seen Cena,” and only remembers “Shawn Michaels as a rookie when he was working with Verne Gagne,” the two wrestlers who Blade mentioned as examples of .

The Big Mosh then mentions Ring Of Honor, and the time where Bruno gave them the credit for bringing “real wrestling” to the current era. Mosh asked Bruno his opinion on how important it is to not have the “sports-entertainment” aspect of wrestling take over what wrestling really is, or in some cases should be. Bruno stated that he worked hard for over 20 years in the business, but does not know if he would want to be responsible for “carrying the torch” for today’s era of wrestling. He added that if he was young & had children, he would not let his children watch wrestling the way it is today — using Vince McMahon’s elite club as an example once again, as well as The Undertaker’s Buried Alive & Casket Matches. “The wrestling that (he knows) and love is gone & dead.” He said that he enjoyed his time at Ring Of Honor, and hopes they can continue to grow bigger & better as an alternative to the “garbage called WWE.”

Mosh addressed the rumors of Bruno’s son, David, having the urge to get back into the wrestling business, and asked Bruno for his takes on the subject. Bruno said that to his understanding, David would like to be involved a little more with doing appearances & autograph signings, as well as possibly taking the next step since he has kept himself in great shape. He added that he does notknow how interested he is in starting an all-out career, but thinks it could be a combination of signings, appearances, & maybe working a couple independents here & there.

DFL & Mosh noted that Bruno has done a fantastic job keeping himself in shape as well, and alluded to the WresleReunion II convention in Valley Forge, PA. At the event, there was a challenge between Bruno Sammartino & Larry Zbyszko, that The Mayhem experienced live & ringside. Bruno laughed & compared the challenge to a “flush,” coming & going rather quickly, and said when he left the ring he was not even sure as to what has just occured. Bruno then mentioned that he is 72 years of age now, and things have changed greatly, all the way down to the ring itself. He then alluded to some injuries from competing on what felt like “concrete” in his career, including a time where he broke his neck and came very close to being paralyzed.

Mosh brought up how Bruno has gone on record to say that his time in wrestling is over, unlike some competitors over the past ten years or so, who have said their have retired…only to come back a few months or years later. He then asked Bruno when he knew it was time to “hang up the boots.” Bruno mentioned a time in 1959 right after he first started wrestling, when he was against Gorgeous George, and the guys in the locker room told him “not to hurt the old man.” After that match, he made a promise to himself that he was going to get out while he was still okay before he reached the point of being considered another “old man.” He then mentioned his last couple of weeks in wrestling being in The Meadowlands in New Jersey, immediately followed by a ten-day tour of Japan, and he retired happy knowing that he was wrestling in front of sold-out arenas all the way until the end. In regards to his comeback in the mid-’80’s, he said he only did it to help the draw since at the time “Hogan couldn’t,” and also to help out his son David’s career. After he started seeing the drug use start, and other “crude” acts, Bruno said he was finished for good, because he simply did not want to be associated with it.

Also, in this near 40-minute interview, Bruno addresses the controversial topic of why he has lost respect for “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, the topic of his favorite arenas/stadiums he competed in throughout his career, his respect for the fans, & his latest venture of theatre in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.

*Wrestling fans around the world: “The Road To WrestleMania XXIV” is now underway, and thanks to Monday Night Mayhem (presented by Sweet Sunshine Sauces: “the official finishing sauce” of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio”) & www.TicketRelief.com it will heat up even more.

Have you always wanted to be one step closer to “The Showcase Of The Immortals,” but are always one step short of being there live & in person? The Mayhem & Ticket Relief.com will have you covered over the next few days leading to WrestleMania Sunday & Monday Night Mayhem’s LIVE WM XXIV Countdown Special (beginning @ 11AM ET/10AM CT) next Sunday, March 30th.

Throughout the contest, The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL will be giving you clues as to where to find the XXIV Roman Numerals on the Ticket Relief.com website. E-mail [email protected] or MySpace www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem the correct link where the XXIV numerals are located, and you will automatically be entered to win a copy of three different WrestleMania DVD’s: WrestleMania XX (last week), WrestleMania 21 (this past week), WrestleMania 23 (this week), & WrestleMania III: The Collector’s Edition (WrestleMania Sunday).

Congratulations goes out to Jason Hodge, who was the winner of our WrestleMania XX DVD.

This is your final chance to get in on the action for our second DVD giveaway! The clue for this past week’s giveaway for the WrestleMania 21 DVD is: Alex Trebek, Regis Philbin, & Marla Maples. Find where the XXIV numerals are, and send your proof to The Mayhem…it’s that easy to be automatically entered! We will be sending out the clue for the WrestleMania 23 DVD giveaway this Monday…so stay tuned for the releasing of that information that could make you a winner.

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“The Road To WrestleMania XXIV” contest is presented by Monday Night Mayhem & www.TicketRelief.com. Do not miss your opportunities to be a part of this exciting contest, as we count down to “The Grand Daddy Of Them All!”

*As we launch the new spring 2008 season of The Mayhem, we strongly all of our fans around the world to support all of our fine advertisers/sponsors.

Sweet Sunshine Hot Sauces (official website: www.SweetSunshine.com): “The official finishing sauce of The Mayhem.” Six tremendous flavors to choose from: Sweet, Warm, Jamaican Jerk, Roasted Shallot & Garlic, Hot, & Atomic! Sweet Sunshine Sauces are the proud winners of three Scovie Awards! And just in time for spring…Sweet Sunshine has made room for their newly-designed bottles (now available), along with their newly-designed & state-of-the-art website. The Sweet Sunshine tag-team of Paul Sarris & Ed Fedorovich will be joining The Mayhem LIVE next Sunday for some special WrestleMania XXIV Tailgate recipes, so fire up your computers, and get ready to take down those delicious WM recipes, courtesy of Sweet Sunshine…The Awesome, All-Natural Sauce!
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Old Time Wrestling (official website: www.OldTimeWrestling.net) has hit the internet! Check out the latest innovation in professional wrestling on the world-wide-web! Old Time Wrestling is a throwback to “the days of old” in the world of wrestling. For only $9.99/month, you will receive over eight hours of matches to watch at your convenience. You also have the opportunity to witness The Mayhem’s return to OTW (featuring the world-wide debut of the new MNM Girl, Helena, as well seeing The Mayhem’s very own DFL in the OTW Arm Wrestling Challenge). The live broadcast begins every Saturday afternoon at 2PM ET. Head on over to www.OldTimeWrestling.net to connect to wrestling of yesterday with today’s technology. And are you looking for that perfect gift for the wrestling fan in your life? How about tickets to the weekly Old Time Wrestling shows, located at The Monster Factory. Affordable family fun for all ages & for a great price!

*”Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” invites all of our fans to check out our new Mayhem Girl, the beautiful Helena! Check out our official website (www.MondayNightMayhem.com) & our official MySpace page (located at www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem), as you will be seeing more of this beauty as part of our new spring season!

*All new & old Mayhem listeners can still check out the archived programs/shows of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” from our six+ years of audio excellence, featuring 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), plus current WWE superstars (Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Candice Michelle, & Charlie Haas), WWE Hall Of Famers (Jim Ross, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, “The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart, The Iron Sheik, Tito Santana, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Harley Race, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, & Don Muraco), the finest from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (Jeff Jarrett, Jim Cornette, Kevin Nash, “The Instant Classic” Christian Cage, “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, The Dudley Boyz/Team 3-D, Scott Steiner, Kip/BG James, “The Notorious 187” Homicide, Eric Young, Kaz, & “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal — along with TNA knockouts Christy Hemme, Gail Kim, & Traci Brooks), Ring Of Honor’s warriors (ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness, “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, & ROH head booker Gabe Sapolsky), ECW originals (Rob Van Dam, “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, Raven, The Sandman, “The Pitbull” Gary Wolfe, Danny Doring, & ECW founder Tod Gordon), some of the greatest managers in the history of our business (Percy Pringle III/Paul Bearer, “The Doctor Of Style” Slick, JJ Dillon, & Gary Hart), the voices that have called the sport/sports-entertainment for years (World Class’ Bill Mercer, the Mid-Atlantic/NWA’s Bob Caudle, & WCW/AWA’s Lee Marshall), wrestling legends/personalities from over the years, past & present (Terry Funk, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, The Honky Tonk Man, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Vader, Konnan, Tully Blanchard, Diamond Dallas Page, “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, Nick “U-Gene” Dinsmore, Low-Ki, “The Wildman” Marc Mero, David “Gangrel” Heath, & Chris Nowinski), & some of the funniest entertainers from around stage & screen (Dave Coulier of TV’s “Full House,” VH-1 “Best Week Ever’s” Greg Fitzsimmons of VH-1’s “Best Week Ever,” Dustin “Screech” Diamond of TV’s “Saved By The Bell,” Howard Stern’s Gary The Retard, “Mad TV’s” Aries Spears, & Comic Relief founder Bob Zmuda). All this & so much more…now available on www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com.

As we begin our new spring season, Monday Night Mayhem’s crew of The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL wish 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.