Chris Bell talks Bigger, Stronger, Faster | Online World of Wrestling

Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com

Former WWE writer & the director & writer of the critically-acclaimed documentary “Bigger, Stronger, Faster*, Chris Bell, was the special guest on this past week’s live edition (1/19/09) of Monday Night Mayhem, hosted by The Big Mosh & Blade. “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” is officially presented by ReelWrestling.com: the latest & hottest innovation from the coverage of professional wrestling online, and features exclusive video found nowhere else from your favorite superstars of the squared circle (featuring an amazing set of four spectacular videos: the WWE Champion,

Jeff Hardy & the current ECW Champion, Matt Hardy, exclusively interviewed mere hours Jeff’s Armageddon title victory, “The Animal” Batista & Kelly Kelly checking out a Broadway show together in New York City, as well as R-Truth giving his candid thoughts on being a part of the Academy-Award nominated Mickey Rourke film, “The Wrestler”) & Custom Muscle: the official nutritional & supplement company of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” (purchase over $50.00, as part of the new 2009 “New Year, New You” MNM/Custom Muscle campaign, type in the word “GRAND,” & get 10% off your purchase…thanks to the proud owners, Charlie/Jackie Haas & Umaga), and is also sponsored by: Old Time Wrestling, The History Of WWE.com, TicketRelief.com, & Serenity’s Treasures: Purchase $50.00 or more through February 28th, and you will be eligible to win a collectible Budweiser beer stein/Budweiser baseball mug/Budweiser & Bud Light mini-mug shot glass set — a near-$100 prize pack, courtesy of The Mayhem!). In addition, The Mayhem strongly encourages all of its fans around the globe to check out the official WWE Universe Fan Nation blog of Charlie Haas (www.fans.wwe.com/CharlieHaas) & the official MySpace page of former WWE Intercontinental/European Champion & WWE superstar, D-Lo Brown (www.MySpace.com/DLoBrown3).

You can feel The Mayhem live & in streaming audio every Monday night (at 8PM ET/7PM CT), exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.ITunes.com, www.AudioWrestling.com, & www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem).

Chris’ MNM appearance is now available for free in Windows Streaming Media, or via the official Monday Night Mayhem podcast on ITunes:

January 19th Monday Night Mayhem Streaming Audio: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/011909.wax

January 19th Monday Night Mayhem Podcast On ITunes: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/jan09/011909.mp3

Here are some highlights of Chris’ interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem’s show correspondent, Dan Kriegbaum

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The Mayhem Crew welcomed Chris to the show, and right off the bat, Blade asked if he was a part of the group of writers/members of the WWE Creative Team that had Mae Young give birth to a hand back in 1999. Chris laughed & said he was not, and also added that Vince McMahon can take the blame for that segment.

Mosh then mentioned the release of Bigger, Stronger, Faster* & its role at last years Sundance Film Festival, and how this year, Linda Hogan made her appearance known at the same event. Chris said that she should have been there last year when the documentary was being shown, because they “bag on Hulk Hogan pretty good, so he probably hates the movie…It would be perfect for her.”

Mosh asked Chris to talk about the background & how the idea for the movie first came about. Chris said that after graduating from USC’s School Of Cinematic Arts, he always wanted to do something about steroids. He added that when he first started thinking of movie ideas, he was always an anti-steroid guy (until trying them himself when he was 26), while both of his brothers were already using them. After a couple of months of using them & realizing they were not for him, he added that he always wondered why he had the moral problem with steroids when his brothers did not, and wanted to make a movie that showed the truth. In the movie, Chris says that “steroids are a side effect of being an American,” meaning that “steroids are another part of the puzzle of people feeling that they aren’t good enough.”

Mosh & Blade talked about Senator Henry Waxman’s recent interviews with both Vince McMahon & Dixie Carter, and one of the most-intriguing quotes of his recent report that was just released: “The information provided during interviews indicate that steroid use is pervasive in professional wrestling and the organizations involved have not taken adequate steps to address this problem.” The Mayhem Crew then mentioned that Sen. Waxman is Chris Bell’s Congressman, and asked what Chris has heard since these reports have come out. Bell said that he interviewed Waxman in the movie, and “the guy is completely clueless when it comes to anabolic steroids.” Chris mentioned some video clips that are posted online from his interview with Sen. Waxman, including clips where he is unsure of the legal drinking age in America, “which just goes to show the people in Congress have no clue what’s going on with the general public…They’re not in touch with the people in question, and they just want to make a swift judgment about steroids.” Chris mentioned his brother, “Mad Dog” Mike Bell’s death this past December as another wrestler who died at a young age, but was not steroid-related at all & just more of the effects of the hard wrestling lifestyle. He added that if Congress is going to look at professional wrestling, they might have to start looking at different aspects like alcohol, painkiller abuse, or the daily schedule.

After a brief discussion of the positives & negatives in the media when it pertains to wrestling, Chris mentioned the WWE’s current World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena, as a man who should be looked up to & one of the nicest guys he knows. Chris has never seen him turn away an autograph request, and that Cena is always giving advice to anyone who is looking for it. He then mentioned how Chyna (Joanie Laurer) was in the news recently, and although she has not been with World Wrestling Entertainment in almost a decade, she was still associated as a wrestling personality & the wrestling business, in general, was getting hurt by it. Chris mentioned that him & his brother were two of the instrumental ones who got Cena into wrestling after seeing John for the first time. Although it took some time, Chris said about after four months of pushing him to go, they all went to the local wrestling school, and after Cena got into the ring, he knew that is what he wanted to do. He added that his brother (Mike) was John’s trainer, while Chris handled the writing aspect of UPW at the time, where “The Prototype” gimmick originated.

Mosh & Blade addressed Henry Waxman’s comments again, and asked Chris who he believes needs to do more work between the WWE & TNA, with regards to their respective “Wellness Policies.” Chris said that he does not see much of TNA, but knows that a lot of the guys in the WWE are no longer in as good shape as they used to be. He added that the government should just lay off of the whole thing, and once again mentioned that they should be looking in other areas to see what the problem could be instead of just blaming it on steroids. He mentioned that in Bigger, Stronger, Faster*, they show that steroids are not the only problem or the main problem, like prescription painkillers & other narcotics are. He added that the WWE should revise their policy to look more towards legal drugs like painkillers & alcohol, which torture the body after constant use. He mentioned that during his time in World Wrestling Entertainment, whenever somebody would mention steroids, Scott Steiner would be the first person to say he was not on them, and everybody else already knew that “you can’t look like that naturally.” Chris went on to say that he hears individuals say such statements as “people cannot make it in the wrestling business without taking painkillers or steroids,” but knows for a fact that John Cena & Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson do not do them, and they are two of the biggest names in wrestling. After Cena’s neck surgery, Chris said John would just squeeze a tennis ball as hard as he could to ease the pain in his neck, and never took one pain pill. Chris then added that something that the WWE & TNA might want to look at is giving guys some time off…which is what they need the most.

With the interview taking place just mere hours before Barack Obama’s inauguration into The White House, Mosh asked Chris if “the war on drugs” & steroid issues will be focused on any more or less than what they were in the Bush administration. Chris said that Joe Biden is actually in the movie quite a bit, and also liked the finished product, “even though he kinda’ comes off as a blowhard in the movie.” He added that Obama was given a copy of the movie, although he is not sure if he has watched it or not, as the movie’s investor was Obama’s #1 fundraiser out of Philadelphia. Chris then said that nobody knows if it will have more or less of a focus, but he hopes it works out in the best interest for the athletes. Chris then talked about how wrestling is tested for steroids but movies aren’t…even though some aspects are the same (scripted, etc). He then added that he does not understand why the government cannot just look at wrestling as entertainment — like TV & movies.

The Mayhem Crew asked Chris for what projects he has lined up in the future. Chris said that right now he is working on two pitches for half-hour comedy TV shows (with one taking place in a gym & the other in a strip club). In regards to film projects, he is looking to do one on prescription painkillers, which he has always wanted to do, like Bigger, Stronger, Faster*. He also said that “stuff pops up out of the blue every once in awhile,” so you never know what you could see.

More in this near 40-minute exclusive interview, including more on Chris’ candid thoughts on the passing of his brother (“Mad Dog” Mike Bell), the untimely death of Paul E. Normous, the positive vs. negatives of wrestling in the media, & Mickey Rourke’s role as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in “The Wrestler.”

Check out the official website/MySpace page for Bigger, Stronger, Faster*, located at www.BiggerStrongerFasterMovie.com & www.MySpace.com/BSFFilm. Head over to your local retail store, or log onto www.Amazon.com or www.NetFlix.com.
*We are now just mere hours away from the 2009 Wrestling Radio Awards, found exclusively at www.WrestlingRadioAwards.com. As many long-time listeners of the program know, “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” has been privileged to win several previous WRA honors, including: the 2008 “Media Interview Of The Year” with WWE Hall Of Famer & the voice of MyNetworkTV’s “SmackDown,” Jim Ross, the 2007 “Media Interview Of The Year” with Eric Bischoff (co-hosted by The Mayhem’s National Correspondent, Scott Hudson), the 2006 “Female Interview Of The Year” with Jackie Haas, as well as the Best-Booked Show of 2005 & 2007.

The Big Mosh & Blade have brought to you, the loyal member of The Mayhem Nation, the most diverse booking of guests found anywhere in 2008, and throughout the past several weeks, you have been asked to make your vote count in the following categories: “Male Interview Of The Year” (“The Immortal” Hulk Hogan/Jesse “The Body” Ventura), “Female Interview Of The Year” (Brooke Hogan/Beth Phoenix/Velvet Sky/Erin Murphy), “Media Interview Of The Year” (Eric Bischoff/Jason Hervey/Dennis Rodman), in addition to Host Of The Year (Mosh/Blade), Show Of The Year, & “People’s Choice.” Log onto www.WrestlingRadioAwards.com LIVE this Monday night, January 26th (@ 7PM ET/6PM CT), prior to Monday Night Mayhem going live to see which awards MNM take home!

*All new & old Mayhem listeners can still check out the archived programs/shows of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” from seven years of audio excellence. You can re-live the live on-location remotes (including The Mayhem’s WrestleMania 23 Countdown Special from Detroit’s Hilton Garden Inn), plus some of your favorite WWE superstars (Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Christian, Charlie Haas, Low-Ki, WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, & Candice Michelle), WWE Hall Of Famers (Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Jim Ross, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, “Superstar” Billy Graham, “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 (TNA President Dixie Carter, Jeff Jarrett, Terry Taylor, Jim Cornette, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, “The War Machine” Rhino, Team 3-D, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, The Motor City Machine Guns’ Chris Sabin/Alex Shelley, Eric Young, “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal, The LAX’s Homicide, Beer Money’s “Tennessee Cowboy” James Storm/Robert Roode, Matt Morgan, Sheik-Abdul Bashir, Cute Kip, “The Guru” Sonjay Dutt, BG James, Kaz, & Lance “Rock” Hoyt — along with TNA Knockouts Christy Hemme, The Beautiful People’s Angelina Love/Velvet Sky, Traci Brooks, ODB, So-Cal Val, & Taylor Wilde), Ring Of Honor’s warriors (ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness, “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, Austin Aries, Claudio Castagnoli, & Kenny King), ECW originals (ECW’s founder Tod Gordon, “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, Raven, The Sandman, Rob Van Dam, Francine, 2 Cold Scorpio, New Jack, Axl Rotten, Lance Storm, Mike “Nova” Bucci, “The Pitbull” Gary Wolfe, & Danny Doring), some of the greatest managers in the history of our business (Percy Pringle III/Paul Bearer, “The Doctor Of Style” Slick, JJ Dillon, & the late 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), the beautiful managers/valets that have graced the squared circle (Missy Hyatt, Terri Runnels, Lisa “Ivory” Moretti, Dawn Marie, Nora “Molly Holly” Greenwald, Jackie Haas), wrestling legends/personalities from over the years, past & present (Bruno Sammartino, Jerry Jarrett, Terry Funk, Dory Funk, Jr., Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, “The Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan, “The Living Legend” Larry Zbyszko, Sid, Tully Blanchard, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, “Bushwacker” Luke Williams, The Honky Tonk Man, Barry “Smash” Darsow, Virgil, Diamond Dallas Page, Vader, “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, Konnan, Bruno “Harvey Whippleman” Lauer, “The Wildman” Marc Mero, D-Lo Brown, Scotty 2 Hotty, David “Gangrel” Heath, Chris Kanyon, “Wildcat” Chris Harris, Nick “U-Gene” Dinsmore, Chris Nowinski, Tomko, & The Highlanders), & some of the most well-known athletes & entertainers from pro-sports, the MMA, stage, & screen, including: Dennis Rodman, Jim Kelly (NFL Hall Of Famer), Frank Trigg, Dave Coulier (“Full House”),” Dustin “Screech” Diamond (“Saved By The Bell”), Tiffany, “The Red Hot Redneck” Trishelle Cannatella, “The Mistress Of Mayhem” Erin Murphy, Frank Stallone, “Candy Girl” Nikki Ziering, Aries Spears (“MAD TV”), Gary The Retard (“The Howard Stern Show”), Greg Fitzsimmons (stand-up comedian/VH-1’s “Best Week Ever”), Jason Peter (former NFL Defensive Tackle, former Nebraska All-American, & author of “Hero Of The Underground), Erin “Steel” Toughill (“American Gladiators”), & Dan “Nitro” Clark (“American Gladiators”). All this & so much more…now available World Wide & 365 at www.MondayNightMayhem.com.