Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com
Former WWE superstar, former ECW General Manager, & the former manager of “The Samoan Bulldozer” Umaga, Armando Estrada, was the special guest on this past week’s edition (12/15/08) 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 two videos: the new WWE Champion, Jeff Hardy & the current ECW Champion, Matt Hardy, exclusively interviewed this past Tuesday night in Baltimore MD…fresh off Jeff’s Armageddon title victory) & Custom Muscle: the official nutritional & supplement company of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” (purchase over $50.00, 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). In addition, The Mayhem strongly encourages all of its fans around the globe to check out the brand-new & official WWE Universe Fan Nation blogs of Charlie Haas (www.fans.wwe.com/CharlieHaas) & D-Lo Brown (www.fans.wwe.com/D-LoBrown).
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.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem).
Armando’s first-ever MNM appearance is now available for free in Windows Streaming Media, or via the official Monday Night Mayhem podcast on ITunes:
December 15th MNM Streaming Audio: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/121508.wax
December 15th MNM Podcast On ITunes: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/dec08/121508.mp3
Here are some highlights of Armando’s interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem’s host, John “The Big Mosh” Masiulionis:
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Armando thanked The Mayhem Crew for having him on, and started things off with a little entertaining holiday humor to break the ice…”The WWE may might be PG, but not me.” Estrada went on by asking Mosh, Blade, & DFL how one of the most-entertaining guests in the near seven-year history of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” could not be nominated for “Interview Of The Year” in the 2009 Wrestling Radio Awards…when the entire year is not even over with & in the books? In lieu of this “travesty” occurring, rumors are circulating that those in charge of the ’09 WRA may be instituting a “Male Superstar Of The Year,” along with a “Female Superstar Of The Year” category! Remember fans, Monday Night Mayhem has brought to you fans the most diverse booking of guests anywhere in 2008, and now is the time to make your vote count! Vote now for The Mayhem in the following categories: “Male Interview Of The Year” (“The Immortal” Hulk Hogan/Jesse “The Body” Ventura), “Female Interview Of The Year” (Brooke Hogan/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.” The nomination period ends Friday night, January 23rd! Vote early, vote often, vote for “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio,” Monday Night Mayhem, at www.WrestlingRadioAwards.com.
Armando is fresh off of competing in last weekend’s Abdullah The Butcher Retirement Show in Puerto Rico, something is classified as “an honor” to be a part of. Having the chance to work with Carlos Colon was something he fondly remembered from the event. In addition, he loved having the opportunity to be in the same squared circle with Team 3-D & work with an “old friend” in former WWE/ECW superstar, Elijah Burke. Mark your calendars now, as Estrada will be going back to Puerto Rico on January 3rd to team up with “The Elijah Express” to take on the WWC World Tag Team Champions, Thunder & Lightning. Armando said it was fun for him to perform in front of the Puerto Rican fans.
As many fans know, Armando & World Wrestling Entertainment parted ways several weeks ago. Mosh & Blade described what many of those across the globe feel very passionately on: that we were just getting the chance to “scratch the surface” in seeing what Armando could do both on the mic & in the ring. Mosh asked Estrada if he feels that those fans got “gypped” in not being able to see that happen. What would have been in the cards for Armando? “I don’t know…I would have to ask the writing team.” Estrada does not blame the WWE for his release whatsoever. He described the inner workings of what is behind a one-hour TV show, how there are a certain number of heels & faces on the roster, & after commercial breaks, there is only a limited amount of time to get all of them on television. “Unfortunately, I got squeezed out.” He feels very confidant that the time he did have may not have been enough to show what he can really do.
Before being called up to the active roster, Armando was a part of the OVW roster (as Muhammad Hassan’s bodyguard, Osama) — which was headed up by Paul Heyman at the time. The question was posted to Estrada if Heyman saw his move from World Wrestling Entertainment to Ohio Valley Wrestling as a punishment. “If it was a demotion, then Paul had a great way of hiding it…let me tell you.” Armando continued on by saying that when he saw Paul for their TV on Wednesday nights, it looked like he was “on top of the world,” that he couldn’t be happier to write a one-hour TV show, & that he seemed genuinely excited. He credits Heyman for helping him “come out of his shell” as a performer & entertainer.
Armando cannot pinpoint which member of the WWE Creative Team (writer or producer) for being the main “proponent” of the Armando Alejandro Estrada character. He remembers getting a call before his debut in April 2006 (in Chicago) from one of the writers saying “Be ready…You will debut the day after WrestleMania, and we’re gonna’ put a rocket up your guys’ asses (him & Umaga’s)…He wasn’t lying about that…We went on a good nine month’s where he didn’t get beat, and that’s a push…that’s called a push…They were right on board…They knew the direction they were taking Umaga…I was just a part of it…I was just there for the ride.”
Blade mentioned the fact that managers have not been as pushed over the years since the days of Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, “The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart, Mr. Fuji, & Paul Bearer. Armando again mentioned the fact that the push was Umaga’s, not his. He does believe wholeheartedly that his biggest attribute & strength is his vebral skills. “Give me a microphone…That’s my strength.” He credits those within the WWE for putting together a great partnership of someone who could get it done in the ring with the perfect “big mouth.” Simply put, Estrada said it best: “I complemented him, and he complemented me.”
The Mayhem Crew shifted gears slightly, bringing up the fact of how much the WWE crowds popped whenever you heard “My name is Armando…Alejandro…Estrada.” What was the reason why Estrada was not able to do that on the mic several months after his debut? “The fans like to interact with you….If they start to like you, then it’s not really the direction that we were going in….We didn’t want to be liked….They just started to like us…The big man can’t be getting cheered…That’s exactly why I stopped doing it….We were getting the wrong reaction.”
After his stay with Umaga on RAW, Armando became the General Manager of ECW. Prior to that, Armando said that he went back to Louisville (OVW), because “there was not a direction for me.” He then received a call, which gave him the opportunity to be the ECW GM. At the time, ECW was the only brand that did not technically have a “leader.” Armando described his time there as “fun,” especially being given the abilities to do something new & different. “I was always used to going out to the ring to perform when I was with Umaga, and this time around, a lot of what I did would be backstage — by myself or with different talent. That was cool, because i got to work with a bunch of different performers on the show.”
During his remaining days in ECW, Armando was “fighting for his job” on a weekly basis, thanks to the current General Manager of ECW, Theodore R. Long. Did Armando see that storyline as “the writing on the wall” for him in the WWE? He did not see that as the case, as during that time, ECW switched writers. “It kinda’ got dropped, until I brought it up….There was a period of about a month where I was not on, and I hadn’t ‘earned my contract yet.’ I think was just the victim of different creative decisions.”
The big question on everyone’s mind is the obvious one after a WWE superstar parts ways with the company? Will we see Armando Estrada in TNA, possibly Ring Of Honor, or honing his craft overseas in Japan or Puerto Rico? “Well…Yes, Yes, Yes, & Yes…If they’re gonna’ give me an opportunity to come in, work, & show that I can get over & entertain, and the money is right…then why wouldn’t I want to do that….I was not able to do that for the WWE towards the end….I was not in the plans….I am a professional wrestler. I went to a wrestling school….I was a wrestler & still am a wrestle…I trained to wrestle…This is what I chose to do with my life.” With regards to the possibility of going to TNA & Ring Of Honor: “If they’re going to invest in me, I am prepared to make them money….It also has to make sense for them too…I am in the business, I make money, and I make money for other people. If you want to bring me in to entertain & do what I do best, and you’re going to invest money in me, then I’m going to be prepared to give you a return on your investment…My job is to sell tickets by entertaining people, and I think I do a good job of that. If someone is interested, then they can reach me via the appropriate channels & we can talk.”
Armando’s parting shot to The Mayhem was very on-target & direct, with regards to heading back to the WWE one day: “If the WWE is around, and they are interested in me in a year or two or whatever the case may be, the door is open for me to come back, but it has to make sense for me to come back: both sense & cents.”
More is contained in this 35+ minute exclusive Mayhem interview with the one & only Armando Estrada, including the experience he gained working & traveling with Umaga (and what people will see of “The Samoan Bulldozer” in the new year ahead), why he did not classify the shifting of programs w/himself & Umaga vs. John Cena & Bobby Lashley as a step down, why he would have classified walking down the aisle @ WrestleMania 23 in front of 80,000 as the “highlight of his career,” as what he feels are the differences between OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) & FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling), the lowdown behind his storyline/feud with Colin Delaney (and why he agrees with The Mayhem Crew on Colin being “a breath of fresh air” in the WWE), his takes on why he feels the ECW of today is “in name only” in comparison to the Extreme Championship Wrestling of ten years ago & why he classifies the Puerto Rican fans to those from ECW…circa ’96’-’97, his personal/professional goals for the new year — including the purchasing of a Chicago Steak & Lemonade franchise in the Phoenix, AZ area, & why you very well may see him shopping at your local Wal-Mart…shopping for shaving products of all things!
Want to book Armando for your promotion in the new year? Contact the Estrada Management Team @ [email protected] or www.MySpace.com/TheRealArmandoEstrada.
The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL wish to extend a very safe, blessed, & Merry Christmas to all of our listeners around the world! Before you spend time with your family this week, be sure to tune into the “Merry Mayhem Christmas/Hanukkah Spectacular” this Monday night, December 22nd (beginning @ 8PM ET/7PM CT), as former ECW Champion & current Ring Of Honor superstar. Jerry Lynn, returns to The Mayhem to preview ROH’s “All-Star Extravanagza IV” in Philadelphia @ the former ECW Arena & “Final Battle 2008” @ The Manhattan Center in New York City! Plus, former WWE & WCW Cruiserweight Champion, Juventud Guerrera, is officially welcomed aboard to The Mayhem Crew…as “The Juice Bar” makes its long-awaited return to professional wrestling, and only “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” can bring it to you! All this & so much more, as the yuletide season brings a little mayhem in your stocking three days early!
All new & old Mayhem listeners can still check out the archived programs/shows of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” from near seven years of audio excellence. You can re-live The Mayhem’s live on-location remotes from the world-famous Ilio DiPaolo’s Restaurant (featuring NFL Hall Of Fame QB, Jim Kelly), The Mayhem’s WrestleMania 23 Countdown Special from Detroit’s Hilton Garden Inn, & The Mayhem’s Dream Reunion II 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.
In addition, you can hear some of your favorite WWE superstars (Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Christian, Charlie Haas, D-Lo Brown, 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 Traci Brooks, The Beautiful People’s Angelina Love/Velvet Sky, Christy Hemme, 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, 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 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.
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.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem). Monday Night Mayhem — World Wide 365…