Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com
Former WWE/WCW superstar, “Squire” Dave Taylor, was the special guest on this past week’s edition (09/30/08) of Monday Night Mayhem, hosted by The Big Mosh & Blade. “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” is officially presented by Sweet Sunshine Sauces, “the official finishing sauce of The Mayhem” (purchase three or more bottles, type in the word AWESOME, & get 25% off your purchase), and is also sponsored by: Custom Muscle, The Monster Factory, Old Time Wrestling, The History Of WWE.com, & TicketRelief.com.
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.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com).
Dave’s first-ever Mayhem appearance (co-hosted by Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Dan Murphy), is now available for FREE in Windows Streaming Media, or via MNM’s official podcast on ITunes:
September 30th/MNM Streaming Audio: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/093008.wax
September 30th/MNM Podcast On ITunes: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/sep08/093008.mp3
Here are some of the highlights from Dave’s interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem’s host, John “The Big Mosh” Masiulionis:
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Mosh & Murph welcomed the “squire” to the program, fresh off the 2008 Ted Petty Invitational outside of Chicago, IL. Dave loved every minute of his first U.S. independent show since parting ways with the WWE. “The people were very responsive & enjoyed my type of wrestling.” Taylor went on record with The Mayhem saying he was “shocked” however at the reaction he received, with the audience chanting “Taylor, Taylor.” While performing in front of the WWE audience, he was booed for the majority of his career there, and so the love from the fans was “unbelievable” & overwhelming (in his bout vs. Ring Of Honor’s Claudio Castagnoli, whom he had a hand in training). “The fans really made me feel wanted…I was thinking of retiring, but not now…not after that…I’ve got a few good years left in me.”
Dan asked Dave if there was any issues he ran into personally inside the ring/training the WWE developmental superstars with regards to working shorter matches (for television purposes) after many years of working lengthier contests. Taylor told the talents he had the chance to train that, when it came to getting the call up to the WWE, “when you get up there, it’s not going to be like this…It’s going to be totally different.” Dave further explained that when it comes to the business today, “you’re only as good as your last match.” Some guys, such as Brock Lesnar, he feels were able to be very successful & “can handle it,” but when it comes to the stress & rigors of professional wrestling & sports-entertainmenta lot of the talent, factored in with all of the TV cameras & someone such as Vince McMahon watching everything, it is not very easy.
When fans around the world think of Dave Taylor’s most memorable moments in his career, the names of WWE superstars, William Regal & Finlay come to mind. All three were in the trenches together overseas in Europe, in World Championship Wrestling, & of course…World Wrestling Entertainment. On the subject of this, Mosh asked Dave if the success that both have received from mainstream fans surprises him in any way. Taylor is not surprised in any way whatsoever, letting The Mayhem’s listening audience know that both were “big stars in Europe” before coming to the WWE. Both were over & were “household names” in England, Germany, & other countries. He does believe that they had to start fresh when they came to the United States however. He gives immense credit to both Finlay & Regal for successfully adapting to the changes they had to endure — with regards to travel especially.
Staying on the topic of WCW, Murph asked Dave if he had any reservations about coming into the company (around 1996) after many successful years overseas. Taylor said there were some moments of trepidation on his end of things, especially since there were very few foreigners in the locker room, minus William Regal & a handful of others. He jokingly said that with him being British, “the fans always hated you for some reason.” Does Taylor think the “inmates were running the asylum” during his time in World Championship Wrestling? The only way you can hear the answer is by tuning into The Mayhem!
Working with The Blue Bloods in WCW to teaming up with both William Regal in the WWE, Dave’s experience in working tag team wrestling is very vast, and it has been clearly evident that tag team wrestling over the years has become less important in the eyes of many fans/those who cover the business. Dave said that he too has clearly seen the shifting of tag teams in his career. He was very surprised, in fact, that after four-five European tours & teaming up with William Regal, there would be gold in their future certainly. “I felt for sure three months after we were together, we would be the champions no problem….And then they split us up.” After Regal was moved to RAW, he teamed up with Paul Birchall. They traveled the WWE house show circuit for six months (including some contests with Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder), but never made television. The movement continued, as Taylor was teamed up with “the Scotch-Guy,” Drew McIntyre. Shortly thereafter, he was sent down to developmental, and Taylor was released. “Some times you think you are doing well, but some times, I don’t understand it.”
One of Dave’s highlights in his WWE run was the Fatal Four-Way WWE Tag Team Title Ladder Match against himself/Regal, The Hardy Boyz, MNM (John “Nitro” Morrison & Joey “Mercury” Matthews), & Brian Kendrick/Paul London. Was Dave surprised at being added to the mix, despite never wrestling in a Ladder Match previously in his career? “When we got to there, we were totally shocked…We didn’t even know.” Originally, the program was between Taylor/Regal vs. Kendrick & London, but was altered to the now infamous Ladder Match. Taylor did wish to tell his critics that “he would have had no problems running up the ladder” whatsoever, if they were going to have won the match. Believe it or not, only until after the bout was over with, did he know about the gruesome eye injury suffered by Matthews.
In this 45+ Mayhem exclusive, Dave gives his uncensored thoughts & comments on when he knew he was “finished” in the WWE, when a certain road agent felt his teaming with Paul Birchall was “main-event” material, if he feels if he was given the chances/opportunities to explore “working the mic,” the WWE’s quickness to call-up developmental talent (only to have some of them sent back down weeks or months later), who he sees as the next “break-out” star in World Wrestling Entertainment (Dave’s answer my surprise you), the differences between “WWE fans” & “wrestling fans,” when he saw “the writing on the wall” in World Championship Wrestling & if any main-event talents in WCW was worried about him taking one of their spots, the pressures of being a second or third-generation superstar in the business, why he wishes to explore more of the U.S. independent circuit (as well as heading back overseas), & why he could see himself landing up in Ring Of Honor. All of this & so much more!
Want more of “Bearded Vengeance” himself, Dan Murphy? Monday Night Mayhem encourages all of its fans around the world to subscribe to the pages of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Check out their official website (www.pwi-online.com), and tell them The Mayhem sent you!
*And if you fans missed this past week of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio,” did you miss a lot…
Fans around the world are anxiously anticipating the launch of “Hulk Hogan‘s Celebrity Championship Wrestling” on CMT, kicking off Saturday, October 18th (@ 8PM ET/7PM CT). Former WCW President, former WWE RAW General Manager, New York Times best-selling author, & the co-executive producer/judge for the highly-talked about CCW program, Eric Bischoff, returns to “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio.” In this Mayhem exclusive (and Eric’s first appearance since his award-winning 2007 Wrestling Radio Awards “Media Interview Of The Year”), Eric joined Mosh & Blade, and gave all of the lowdown on “Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling” — including the early development of the program (w/his partner, Jason Hervey), what the fans can expect from the program itself, if the WWE/TNA sees this project as competition, if he sees Hulk Hogan competing at WrestleMania XXV, & the answer to the much-discussed topic of whether or not he sees the series turning into an official traveling promotion. Would Eric work again with “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair in a reality-based project? What are Eric’s takes on the current state of professional-wrestling & sports-entertainment? All of this questions & so much more are answered in this one-hour MNM special! Check out www.BHE.TV & www.HulkHogan.com for more details on “Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling.”
October 3rd/MNM Streaming Audio: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/100308.wax
October 3rd/MNM Podcast On ITunes: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/oct08/100308.mp3
Monday Night Mayhem will have you fans covered throughout the duration of the program, beginning this week & into the season finale of the show: One of the three special judges (in addition to Hulk & Eric)/MNM Hall Of Famer, “The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart, joins the program LIVE this Monday night (October 6th/beginning at 8PM ET/7PM CT), one of the coaches for Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling, “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs will feel The Mayhem LIVE on Monday, October 13th, plus Eric’s partner & the former star of ABC’s “Wonder Years,” Jason Hervey, will join Mosh, Blade, & DFL for a special exclusive interview — which will be available on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network on Tuesday, October 14th. And could an appearance from “The Immortal One” be close behind? Plus, tune into The Mayhem every Monday night (beginning October 20th), as the voted-off cast member of CMT’s “Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling” will step into the squared circle of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio.” Head on over to www.MondayNightMayhem.com & www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem for all of the latest news, as we are your official source for the latest…brother!
And “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” closed out the month of September with the most in-depth preview of WWE’s No Mercy PPV (presented by The History Of WWE.com), as Mosh & Blade were joined by The Mayhem’s WWE PPV Preview Tandem of Scott Hudson, Jim Molineaux, & Graham Cawthon to not only set the table for World Wrestling Entertainment’s return to Portland, but gear up fans around the world for the debut of Smackdown on MyNetworkTV this Friday night! Former WWE & ECW superstar, Mike Bucci, stepped into The Mayhem squared circle for a look back on his career & preview his newest venture, www.LoanHelpNow247.com. The former “Nova” & “Simon Dean” reunited with his former extreme colleague, Jim Molineaux, for the first time in many years, and Mike gave his thoughts on his respective transitions from an ECW wrestler to WWE superstar & from WWE superstar to his position heading up talent relations for World Wrestling Entertainment. What are his thoughts now on the talents he helped sign? What are his takes on the WWE Wellness Policy, and does he think it has improved over the past year? All of this & so much more! Get out your “Dean Machines” & have some fun with this interview fans! And if that isn’t enough Mayhem for you, Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Dan Murphy joined the show to discuss the first-ever “PWI Female Top 50” magazine! And Mosh & Blade discussed Rey Mysterio’s reported re-signing with the WWE, as well as the latest remarks from Kurt Angle in The UK Sun & why TNA will be using this “billboard” material for iMPACT leading into Bound For Glory.
September 29th MNM Streaming Audio: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/092908.wax
September 29th MNM Podcast On ITunes: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/sep08/092908.mp3
*All new & old Mayhem listeners can still check out the archived programs/shows of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” from our near seven years of audio excellence, featuring our worldwide exclusive with the cast of VH-1’s “Brooke Knows Best” (Brooke Hogan, Glenn Douglas Packard, & Ashley Menendez), the official Monday Night Mayhem WrestleMania XXIV Countdown Special (w/J.J. Dillon, The Orlando Sentinel’s Andrea Adelson, SLAM Wrestling’s Bob Kapur, The Baltimore Sun’s Kevin Eck, Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Dan Murphy, & many more), The Mayhem’s 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, & D-Lo Brown), 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, “The Instant Classic” Christian Cage, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, Team 3-D, Scott Steiner, Kip/BG James, “The Notorious 187” Homicide, Beer Money’s Robert Roode, “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal, Kaz, Eric Young, Tomko, & Lance “Rock” Hoyt — along with TNA Knockouts Taylor Wilde, Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, Christy Hemme, So-Cal Val, & Traci Brooks), Ring Of Honor’s warriors (ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness, “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, Austin Aries, Claudio Castagnoli, & ROH head booker Gabe Sapolsky), ECW originals (ECW’s founder Tod Gordon, Rob Van Dam, “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, Raven, The Sandman, Francine, 2 Cold Scorpio, New Jack, Axl Rotten, Jerry Lynn, Lance Storm, “The Pitbull” Gary Wolfe, & Danny Doring), the most-beautiful 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 Gayda 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, Scotty 2 Hotty, David “Gangrel” Heath, Chris Kanyon, Nick “U-Gene” Dinsmore, Chris Nowinski, Low-Ki, Tomko, & The Highlanders), & some of the most well-known athletes & entertainers from the football gridiron, the basketball court, stage, & screen (including: Dennis Rodman, NFL Hall Of Famer Jim Kelly, former NFL Defensive Tackle/Nebraska All-American/author of “Hero Of The Underground,” Jason Peter, 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, Erin “Steel” Toughill & Dan “Nitro” Clark from “American Gladiators,” “Mad TV’s” Aries Spears, & Comic Relief founder Bob Zmuda). All this & so much more…now available on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network.