BILL ALFONSO DISCUSSES HIS CHANCES OF JOINING ROB VAN DAM IN TNA, GIVING PAUL HEYMAN HIS FIRST MANAGING JOB, CREATING THE PAUL E. DANGEROUSLY GIMMICK, AND MORE By WorldWrestlingInsanity.com
You ready for a cool ClubWWI.com interview with an ECW Original? Good to hear as they don’t get much cooler than “Fonzie.” That’s right. The man who brought a whole new meaning to “Whistle While You Work,” the one and only Bill Alfonso goes Clubbin’ for a 54 minute exclusive uncut shoot interview with James Guttman.
The man they call Fonzie has been everywhere in the wrestling business and has seen it all. From Roddy Piper shooting an alligator to negotiating the WWF deal with Giant Gonzalez to being attacked by a WWF cameraman during the 1997 ECW Invasion of Raw, Bill leaves no subject off limits. If you’re a fan of stories from behind the locker room curtain, then you need to head over to ClubWWI.com right now and listen to them firsthand from one of the most original ECW originals around! For the full list of topics head to: http://www.worldwrestlinginsanity.com/am2/publish/newsnotes/ClubWWI_Bill_Alfonso.shtml
And for all the latest information on ClubWWI guests and World Wrestling Insanity, join our Facebook fan page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-World-Wrestling-Insanity-Dot-Com-Page/275219172353
Bill Alfonso is one of wrestling’s most memorable managers for a number of reasons. One in particular? The way he was able to contrast his personality with those of the people he managed. His hyper approach to promos worked beautifully with the silence of Sabu, the intensity of Taz, and the cool Cali-style of Rob Van Dam. He speaks with James Guttman about all those experiences and addresses the rumors that he might end up in TNA, side by side with the man he ran through ECW with – RVD.
“I’m talking to Van Dam on a weekly basis. He’s trying to get my foot into TNA. We’ll see how that goes. There’s a 20% chance. It’s big money. You know what I mean? So it’s hard to get in there. I’m a real good friend of Hulk Hogan‘s and he’s the man. We were both born on August 11th, so hopefully that works out and it’s right there in Orlando. So you might see me back on the tube. That’s a possibility.”
Bill speaks about his love for the business including the stories of how he broke in, his early referee work (including the story behind the infamous Lex Luger-Bruiser Brody cage match), booking work including being there when Lex got his name and even…creating Paul E. Dangerously’s famous gimmick and look. He tells ClubWWI.com listeners the story…
“I helped break Paul Heyman into the business in the 80s. He came to Florida, Florida Championship Wrestling, with Eddie Graham. Dusty (Rhodes) was the booker. He had been taking pictures and sh*t in Minneapolis. So he came down, hoping to get his foot in the door for about four months in Florida. I was assistant booker and he came down with a guy named Tombstone. He was just hanging out. Trying to get into the business. So Tombstone gave his notice and he was leaving in a month…So Paul Heyman said, “Fonzie. What do you think? Is there any chance possible that I can come out and be Tombstone’s manager for the last month? You know, he’s leaving in four weeks. What do you think?”
That’s just one of many stories Bill has about dealing with young talent during his booking days. As the “left hand man” for many of the best bookers in wrestling history, Alfonso has seen many moments in the business from an office point of view. He discusses that with ClubWWI.com listeners and offers his unique perspective as a referee that allowed him to craft some of the most memorable match finishes people have seen. When it came to Heyman, though, Bill gave him a break, but his look needed some, well, tweaking.
“Now he’s got a pair of Converse tennis shoes. He’s got jeans on. I said, ‘Brother, do you think you can get a suit?’ I didn’t know his family had money. His father’s an attorney. He lives in Scarsdale. Rich family. He says, ‘Oh yeah. I can get a suit.’ I said, ‘How about a cell phone?’ This is before cell phones were popular. He said, ‘No problem.’ I said, ‘OK. You do that and we’ll let you come out with him the last month.”
The birth of Paul E. Dangerously lead to Alfonso’s spot in ECW many years later. He talks about his friendship with Heyman, what he was doing when he got the call, and his reaction to being approached to join ECW. The stories don’t end there. Bill Alfonso talks about, well, EVERYTHING on ClubWWI.com. Including: The Insane Story of Roddy Piper Shooting An Alligator with a .38, Why He Had Heat With WWF Referees, The Advice Tommy Dreamer Gave Him That Saved His Promos, Why He Was Attacked By a WWF Cameraman During The 1997 ECW Invasion of Raw, Vince McMahon’s Reaction To Hearing That Giant Gonzalez Had Given Bill The Custom Made $10,000 Fur Coat He Had Made For Him, How Much WCW Paid Gonzalez, Why They Left, The Story of His First Meeting At Vince’s House, The Severance Pay WWF Gave Him, Working The First Monday Night Raw, What He Took Upon Himself To Do Before Refereeing The Flair-Fujinami Match in Japan, JJ Dillon, Hiro Matsuda, Taz, Andre The Giant, Abdullah The Butcher, The Miz, Sabu, and TONS more.
Anyone interested in booking Bill can write to: [email protected] – Serious inquiries only.
Remember, “Fonzie” is just one of well over 250 stars you can hear in uncut shoot interviews as soon as you sign up to ClubWWI.com. Others include: Sivi Afi , Aaron Aguliera, Skandar Akbar, Brent Albright, Ole Anderson, Road Warrior Animal, Tony “T.L. Hopper” Anthony, Baby Doll, Buff Bagwell, Doug Basham, Paul Bearer, Giant Bernard, Big Daddy V, Eric Bischoff, Steve Blackman, Brian Blair, Tully Blanchard, Nick Bockwinkel, “The Boogeyman” Marty Wright, Bad News Brown, D-Lo Brown, “Jumping” Jim Brunzell, Mike “Simon Dean” Bucci, Bull Buchanan, Big Bully Busick, Lance Cade , Christian, John Cena Sr., Chaz “Headbanger Mosh” , Bryan “Adam Bomb” Clark, Rob Conway, Jim Cornette, Justin Credible, Austin “Consequences” Creed, D-Ray 3000, Scott D’Amore, Christopher Daniels, Shawn Daivari, Dangerous Danny Davis, Dawn Marie, Damian Demento, Colin Delaney, Brother Devon, Demolition Ax, Demolition Smash, Bill DeMott, Ted DiBiase, J.J. Dillon, Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore, Disco Inferno, “Domino” Cliff Compton, Spike Dudley, Hacksaw Jim Duggan , Kenny Dykstra, Bobby Eaton, Paul Ellering, Armando Estrada,, Manny Fernandez , Fifi The Maid, Francine, Mr. Fuji, Dory Funk Jr., Terry Funk, Greg Gagne, Ronnie Garvin ,Jackie Gayda, Joel Gertner, Glacier, Sylvain Grenier, Tod Gordon, Zach Gowen, Juventud Guerrera, Chalie Haas, Chris Harris , Bruce Hart , Jimmy Hart, Diva Search’s Jessica Hatch, Dave Hebner, Earl Hebner, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Jon Heidenreich, Christy Hemme, Hillbilly Jim, Molly Holly , The Honky Tonk Man, Tim Horner , Scotty 2 Hotty, Sam Houston, Mr. Hughes, The Iron Sheik, Ivory, B.G. James, Jazz, Ahmed Johnson, Judge Jeff Jones, Orlando Jordan, Kamala, Kid Kash, Kevin Kelly, Pat “Simon Diamond” Kenney, Ron Killings, Cpl. Kirschner, Kizarny, Kevin Kleinrock, Brian Knobbs, Ivan Koloff, Nikita Koloff,, Bobby Lashley, Bruno “Harvey Wippleman” Lauer, Jerry “The King” Lawler, “The Total Package” Lex Luger, Buschwhacker Luke, Rodney Mack, Magnum T.A., Balls Mahoney, Rick Martel, Clarence Mason , “Masterpiece” Chris Masters, Robbie McAllister, Rory McAllister, Matt Morgan, Ernest Miller, Missing Link, Father James Mitchell, Mo From Men on a Mission , Sean Mooney, Ricky Morton, Don Muraco, Trevor Murdoch, Kevin Nash, Nidia, Nunzio, One Man Gang, Sonny Onoo, Paul “Mr. Wonderful” Orndorff, Oscar From Men on a Mission , Fred “Typhoon/Tugboat/Shockmaster” Ottman, Pierre-Carl Ouellet, Outback Jack, Diamond Dallas Page, Ken Patera, Nick Patrick, Jim Powers, Tom Prichard, Ivan Putski, Harley Race, Baron Von Raschke, “The Yeti” Ron Reis , Rhino, Dustin Rhodes, Tommy Rich, Rikishi, Paul Roma, “Super Hero in Training” Rosie, Jacques Rougeau, Terri Runnels, Lance Russell, Samoa Joe, Bruno Sammartino, Samu, Tito Santana, Dan “The Beast” Severn, Ron Simmons, Elix Skipper, Slick, Tracey Smothers, Al Snow, Sim “Deuce” Snuka, Dennis Stamp, George “The Animal” Steele, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, Idol Stevens, The Stro, AJ Styles, Dave “Evad” Sullivan, Kevin Sullivan, Dave Taylor, Sylvester Terkay, ECW’s Tiffany, Too Cold Scorpio, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Jimmy Valiant, Johnny Valiant, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Sid Vicious, Vito, Nikolai Volkoff, Koko B. Ware, Erik Watts, Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, David Young, Mae Young , Larry Zybszko, and More.