On the latest episode of You’re Welcome, Chael P. Sonnen spoke with Sean “X-Pac” Waltman about the current state of WWE. Here are some of the highlights:
– Chael mentions the various doomsday panics people get lathered up about, and says he’d rather die than have to live in a bomb shelter, drinking bottle water. He doesn’t even drink bottle water now, adding that the only thing he puts in his system is Coca-Cola (I assume he means the only legal substance he puts in his system).
– Chael says people try to make believe that NASCAR is real, because “If you have a car, and your buddy has a car, and you race, whoever wins today will win tomorrow”. Chael’s alternate reality sounds like a fun place to visit.
– “Yet in NASCAR, we allow the same ten, white, privileged males to go race each other every Sunday in the same car, doing the same thing, and not only do we expect a different result, we get one, that’s insanity.”
– Chael and Sean both proclaim that they are marks.
– Chael says WWE has a problem on their hands regarding the Royal Rumble, they’re having buyer’s remorse and want to back out of the stipulation giving Roman a direct shot to the main event of WrestleMania.
– Chael doesn’t understand why Roman Reigns isn’t over with the fans, “He’s over with me. I think he’s a handsome guy, he’s a young guy, I get it. I think he can wrestle. His interviews need a little work, but I don’t think they’re as bad as people say.” WAIT, WHAT?
– Waltman says “First of all, they picked the worst town to try to pull that off in” referring to Roman winning the Rumble. He adds “It’s a great town for wrestling, but you’re not going to tell them what they are going to eat and what they aren’t going to eat, and if they feel like someone is the chosen one, they’re going to spit that out for sure.”
– Sean adds that WWE did a disservice to Roman, “It’s not his fault. He might not be good on his interviews, or when he has the mic, but that will come. It’s like a real good piece of meat. You can have someone pick out a great piece of meat, but if you put it on a grill that’s too hot, it’ll get charred on the outside and still be raw on the inside.”
– Chael believes WWE will double down on Roman and put him over at Fast Lane, sending him to Wrestle Mania as originally planned.
– Chael says untalented people have to give the fans what they want. “Coca-Cola doesn’t put more sugar in because the kids want more sugar, they say they’re the experts in soda, this is the best recipe, and you’re going to drink it. And guess what, they do.” Sean says that Vince McMahon would love to hear Chael say what he just said.
– Sean counters that if WWE is going to focus on “brand this and hashtag that”, they can’t be as selective when it comes to acknowledging what the fans want.
– Chael says he’s never known until the night of Wrestle Mania what’s going to happen, “that’s part of the intrigue, that’s why we have Wrestle Mania parties”, but word got out eight months ago that Roman Reigns would take the belt off Brock Lesnar in the main event of Wrestle Mania. “When that got out, you have to change course. Per the rules of wrestling, you have to change course. And for some reason, they did not.”
– Sean points out that when Steve Austin was going to face Shawn Michaels at Wrestle Mania, he was whtie-hot and didn’t need a push, just to be given the ball and let him run with it, so I guess the obvious play isn’t always a bad thing.
– Chael wants to know if Sean thinks WWE will go with Daniel Bryan at Mania. “If you’re telling me that I’m supposed to buy Daniel Bryan beating Brock Lesnar clean, that’s a tough sell.”
– Sean hopes that Brock will stick around even though his contract is up in the spring. “If they can lock down his contract before Mania, I’d like to see them keep the belt on him”
– “Brock Lesnar doesn’t turn anything, he’s Brock Lesnar.” Sean adds “How are you going to send Roman Reigns into Wrestle Mania with Brock Lesnar, Brock being Brock, and you’re trying to get the people to cheer Roman? It’s not going to happen, it’s never going to happen.”
– Sean was apparently the person that told Hunter about Roman Reigns in developmental, so we have X-Pac to thank for our handsome boy horse prince.
– Chael says Roman Reigns has the total package for him.
– Chael admires Sean for breaking into the business at the time he did, saying it was tough for a guy that was under 6’2″ and weighed less than 250 pounds. Chael credits the change in the landscape to Sean and Chris Jericho, that torch was then passed to CM Punk, and now it’s passed to Daniel Bryan. I did not know that Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were both 6’10”, 375lbs.
– Sgt. Slaughter called Waltman about a tryout, and Sean put him on hold for five minutes, not realizing the call was about trying out for WWF.
– Sean says there’s nothing wrong with The Kliq having influence on Vince, since “Anyone with good ideas, going out there every night and proving themselves could have that same influence, if they had the balls.” Waltman also said the big problem is that other guys didn’t stick together, and it didn’t take long for people to realize that nobody was capable of getting in between the Kliq.
– Chael says “If you just sit back and toe the line, you won’t get noticed, you’ll just get older. You’re settling for mediocrity and you’ll miss opportunities.”
– Sean tells the guys in WWE now that if they’re given a scripted promo that they don’t like, speak up, but “you have to bring something to the table that’s better.”
– Chael says that 36 different states had to create commissions to regulate pro wrestling because politicians thought it was real, and it took Vince McMahon saying things are scripted entertainment to life the veil. Chael notes that Oregon still has a pro wrestling commission, which he finds idiotic.
– Waltman notes most commissions are there just to take their 8% cut and do little else. “The doctors would be gone even before the matches started.”
– Chael calls Scott Hall one of the greatest characters and wants to know why he never won a world title. Waltman thinks the only answer is he was considered unstable since “a lot of us were pretty messed up back then.”
– Waltman believes a lot of people are to blame for the death of WCW “I don’t think it was a one-man wrecking crew that went in there and destroyed that company.”
– Sean says Bischoff did some incredible things, “but when you give up creative control to your talent, you’re screwed.”
– Chael likes Bret Hart, but knew he wouldn’t be able to take over at WCW since so many people were ahead of him. Chael references a “poor me” rant Bret went on and adds “Gandhi is the only person that made being pathetic into something.”
– Chael wants to know why Triple H firing CM Punk via FedEx isn’t being treated the same way as Bischoff firing Steve Austin by FedEx. Sean says he was let go by Bischoff the same way, and “it isn’t cool.”
– Chael says it’s rude, but calling people to let them go takes up a lot of time, so mailing the pink slips is the best way to go about things.
– Sean is asked if D-X and nWo are both on top of a burning building and he can only save one, which does he choose? “None of it happens without nWo, because Vince still saw me as 1-2-3 Kid, he would keep me in the middle of the card, or under it, depending on his mood. So I had to go to WCW and prove myself there and then come back. But D-X is my favorite.” Chael agrees that D-X is the coolest.
– Even if he was champion, Sean would always make his entrance first so he could catch his breath during his opponent’s entrance because he was always so energetic and amped up.
– Chael wants to know why Buff Bagwell never got a fair shake in WWE after WCW was bought out. Sean says it’s partly Buff’s own fault, but also other than a very select few, the WCW roster was viewed under a magnifying glass for any mistakes to get pounced on.
– Sean says one time, Buff went to the locker room after a match and someone had punched a hole in his top hat. Chael says “that’s a scumbag move!” Chael thinks Buff probably only had one or two hats, so vandalizing it is like killing Damien for Jake Roberts. I’m no expert, but damaging a hat doesn’t seem to equal snake murder.
– Chael says that when Dana White cuts someone from UFC, there’s usually a road map back, like string together a few wins, or get finish some fights, and he wants to know if there’s a process like that in wrestling. Waltman says that John Laurinaitis would offer to call Japan for guys, but mostly guys are left in the wind.
– Sean says the system Chael is describing reminds him of Vince McMahon “It’s hard to burn a bridge with him if you can still make him money.”
– Chael wants to know who can be counted on to blow a spot, and Sean admits there’s usually one thing per match that he screws up. Sean also says that Curt Hennig was prone to getting lost in the ring and not knowing where he was, despite being one of the best ever.
– Sean admits that he’s gone to the ring under the influence a few times, either drunk or pilled up. He makes no excuses, but does say there are a lot of reasons for it.
– Sean doesn’t agree to the sentiment that becoming a pro wrestler turns people into drug addicts, “Most of us bring this baggage into the business with us when we come into it, so I think that’s a big part of it.”
– Chael wants to know about the craziest backstage rib, and Sean says he’s probably responsible for some of the wildest ones, like “putting the turd in someone’s bag”. Sean explains he did it once to Juventud Guerrera, because during a tour of Mexico, Sean was having a rough time, had been drinking, and attempted suicide. Juvy then went on a radio station and broadcast Waltman’s business, so Sean paid him back years later with a poop-bag.
– Waltman says he’s the one that cut Michael Hayes’ mullet during the Plane Ride From Hell after JBL knocked Hayes out cold.
– Chael hates deathmatches, and doesn’t like guys getting hit with barb wire-wrapped baseball bats and bleeding all over the place. He also agrees with Jim Cornette’s opinion that if it’s done well enough, the crowd will chant “E-C-Dub!” instead of the names of the wrestlers involved. Sean thinks the company won’t have a problem with the brand getting put out there in chants, but the performer wants his name chanted.
They close out with some political talk and the promise that there will be a follow-up podcast that is entirely devoted to politics. I’m sure that will be insightful.
