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Feel good 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:57.440 in what you wear whatever you're doing with Girlfriend Collective. 0:00:58.120 --> 0:01:01.840 For listeners of the show, Girlfrid Collective is offering twenty 0:01:01.880 --> 0:01:04.399 five dollars off your purchase of one hundred dollars or 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:08.520 more when you go to girlfriend dot com slash Francine. 0:01:09.160 --> 0:01:12.399 That's twenty five dollars off one hundred dollars or more 0:01:12.760 --> 0:01:16.920 when you go to girlfriend dot com slash Francceine girlfriend 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:21.600 dot com slash Francine, and please tell them Eyes up 0:01:21.640 --> 0:01:31.640 here sent you. All right, let's get it going right 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:34.160 here right now. Oh, this is Eyes up here, and 0:01:34.200 --> 0:01:36.400 you're listening to an all new Eyes up here on 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:41.080 our Patreon channel and the Creative Control Network. I didn't 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:43.240 know by now. My name is Chad, and every single 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:46.800 week I'm of course joined here by my running mate, 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:51.000 my great passenger for many hours on the road, V 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:56.480 one and only Queen of Extreme Francine. Yes, hello everyone. 0:01:56.720 --> 0:01:59.080 I hope everybody's having a great day so far. And 0:01:59.840 --> 0:02:04.360 you know, even though I almost died this weekend coming 0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:07.160 home with Chad, I must say he kept us cool. 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:12.280 The driving situation that was a little scary. You know, 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:15.960 these no offense to anyone who lives in New York, 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:20.320 because I love all people equally. But good lord, where 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:23.840 do you people learn how to dry? No? I forgot 0:02:23.880 --> 0:02:27.800 that until you just mentioned. Oh, you know, everything was 0:02:27.840 --> 0:02:32.960 peachy Keene until we came home and the GPS started 0:02:33.000 --> 0:02:40.639 taking us through parking lots and school districts and whatnot. 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:44.800 And there was like a roundabout gimmick that had forty 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:51.639 two different lights, and we were literally boxed in because 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:55.000 the lane next to us went straight, but no, no 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:58.720 one went straight. They kept turning and cutting us off 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:00.959 and there. I mean, if we tried to go, we 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:05.800 would have got side swiped. I was like practically pooping 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:09.359 my pants. I was so su I was very nervous. 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:12.160 I was holding on for dear life. But I said, 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:15.200 if this was me driving, I would have just stopped 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:18.440 the car and cried and somebody would have had to 0:03:18.440 --> 0:03:20.400 push me out of there. But Cat keok to school, 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:24.520 even though it took about ten minutes. It took ten 0:03:24.560 --> 0:03:27.360 minutes to go like this, to go literally down the 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:30.359 street left and back down on the street. That yeah, 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:33.160 ten minutes at least. But I think what caused your 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:37.040 angst about the whole thing was when people started getting 0:03:37.080 --> 0:03:40.400 out of the cars, yes, and yelling at everybody. People 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:44.320 were they started beeping, which, okay, you're beeping, but like 0:03:45.000 --> 0:03:50.400 laying on the horse louas loud beaps, like for like 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:52.839 five minutes to guy, and I'm like, dude. And then 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.480 they would get out and they were screaming at each 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:59.520 other and I'm like, oh my god, what if somebody 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:03.040 gets road range and pulls it out of machety starts 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:08.840 swinging or a gun or a taser. I the scene 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:15.040 in uh the Griswolds, what is that National Lampoon's vacation 0:04:15.160 --> 0:04:21.800 where throw them up? We had him up weed to 0:04:21.839 --> 0:04:23.960 do this, to put him up? Oh my god, I 0:04:24.040 --> 0:04:26.599 was so I was so scared. But I have to 0:04:26.640 --> 0:04:29.240 compliment you. You You got us out of there. You were 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:34.080 very calm. I there would have been uh, debris all 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:38.440 over the car, defecation everywhere. I was so nervous and 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:42.839 it was horrible. And h I hate driving in New York, 0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:47.440 love visiting, love working, hate the driving. So Chad didn't 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:50.080 I have to put him over. He didn't. I appreciate that. 0:04:50.160 --> 0:04:51.919 And it's nice in Long Island where we got to 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:53.960 go on like back roads and it was like very 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:56.800 easy to navigate through and get me get to go, 0:04:56.960 --> 0:04:59.240 you know a couple of restaurants, do this, do that, 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:01.880 and go where we needed to go. It then like 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:06.920 you know the Cross Bronx Expressway, I think the Major Degan, 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:10.160 the Tribe Borough Bridge, all these different routes. It was 0:05:10.200 --> 0:05:13.680 taking us on. Not not fun, but Hey, come on, 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:15.240 that's where I'm from. I know not how to navigation. 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:19.440 Thank god you did, because that's why, you know, people 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:21.200 want to book me all the time in New York. 0:05:21.200 --> 0:05:22.919 And if I don't have a partner to go with, 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:26.080 I'm not going. I will stay home and be safe 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:28.080 in my own house, Thank you very much. Well, and 0:05:28.120 --> 0:05:31.760 the chadser will not be going to New York anytime soon. 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:34.599 So it's a wrap for me as far as the 0:05:34.600 --> 0:05:38.800 New York schedule goes. Now, our guest has already arrived. 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:40.720 Oh okay, so you know what. We'll talk about our 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:44.120 weekend later on. We'll pause that. But this is a 0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:48.760 gentleman that I had met through the duo of Myers 0:05:48.760 --> 0:05:53.040 and Cardona, and he's part of the Major Figure podcast universe. 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:58.880 Captain Joe Shoes, you're not muted anywhere. Look at this man. 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:02.000 Can you just tell me? Is there a better gimmick? 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:05.680 Make sure worth a thousand words? For sure? I absolutely 0:06:05.720 --> 0:06:09.240 fell in love the night I did the live Uh 0:06:09.520 --> 0:06:12.960 was it nine Live? Nine? Yeah? It was. It seems 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:14.840 like many moons ago that you and I laid our 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:17.560 eyes on each other. It was. What's actually funny is 0:06:17.600 --> 0:06:21.200 you and I actually first met in Oh gee, I 0:06:21.240 --> 0:06:26.120 did it again two thousand and one, maybe again, I apologize. 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:28.600 Where was I was a I was a very young, 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:34.520 green aspiring professional wrestler, and Jack Sabbath brought you into 0:06:35.000 --> 0:06:38.400 ICW at the time. You just did one shot there, 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:40.320 But I want to say it was November two thousand 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:45.280 and one. Was that what match striker? Probably because I 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:48.240 believe I managed Matt on one of his shoes, that 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:52.320 would make sense. Okay, Well, I apologize that I didn't. 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:54.840 I don't expect you to remember, especially from then. I was. 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:58.360 I'm no one now, but I remember me now. Listen, 0:06:58.400 --> 0:07:01.159 you were somebody back then, and you're certainly somebody now. 0:07:01.279 --> 0:07:06.000 So the problem that I have about our encounter because 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:09.680 I know, before we get into your whole story, because 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:12.280 I want to know where about you? Of course, but 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:15.880 we we co hosted that boozem with the toys gimmick, 0:07:16.920 --> 0:07:19.960 and I don't remember a lot about it. I know 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:23.520 I was very charming and the ratings went through the roof. 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:29.280 Had I remember people still talk about that. No do that? 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:33.120 Yes they do. Well. I had a lot of my 0:07:33.280 --> 0:07:38.080 ties that evening. We all know this, I did, But 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:41.880 it was The concept is great. Now. I didn't understand 0:07:41.880 --> 0:07:44.120 the concept when they they just kind of threw me 0:07:44.160 --> 0:07:46.560 and they said, would you go and do this thing 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:49.240 while we sell our gimmicks. I said, yeah, sure, I'm 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:52.840 just waiting around, right. I thought I was there to 0:07:52.960 --> 0:07:58.440 help sell merch for the boys. But that wasn't the case. No, 0:07:58.480 --> 0:08:02.080 not at all. People just wanted to you no, no, no, no. 0:08:02.120 --> 0:08:07.360 The point of the show I've heard. Yeah, I thought 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:11.160 I was selling merchandise for your little company that you 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:14.000 have going on. So I'm like trying to push I 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:16.240 found the lanyard. I thought it was Matt Cardona's that 0:08:16.280 --> 0:08:17.880 I'm trying to sell it for like one hundred and 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:20.880 twenty five. And he comes and sits next to me, 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:24.520 and Matt's like ten bucks. What do you mean? Ten bucks? 0:08:24.600 --> 0:08:26.480 This is yours because we're not some miss And I 0:08:26.520 --> 0:08:29.640 was like, what is the point of this? Can you explain? 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:31.520 I know you did a big show last night. I 0:08:31.560 --> 0:08:35.880 saw it all over Twitter. Explain the concept because you 0:08:36.040 --> 0:08:39.720 want fans to interact with you while you're all drinking 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:45.400 and you're encouraging them to get some balls and actually 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:49.160 buy their own items. Yeah, they were really wanting so 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:52.120 the podcast and this is Matt and Brian's you know, 0:08:52.559 --> 0:08:54.800 big thing. It's turned into something bigger than I think 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.360 anyone ever thought it could be at the time that 0:08:57.400 --> 0:09:00.920 it started. And this is just another way to engage 0:09:00.960 --> 0:09:04.840 the fans and hang out with them, have real, real 0:09:04.840 --> 0:09:08.000 time engagement, have a couple of drinks, and maybe make 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:11.160 some purchases that you don't want to make while you're sober. 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:13.800 Spend a little bit extra money that you don't want 0:09:13.840 --> 0:09:16.600 to spend while you're sober. Maybe there's something out there 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:19.800 that you need to fill a collection that you just say, 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:22.320 you know, this is just a little bit out of 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:25.000 my league, but I really like this would be the 0:09:25.080 --> 0:09:27.760 real grail piece for me. And once you get a 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:31.720 couple of Grandpa's old cough medicines inside you, then you 0:09:31.720 --> 0:09:34.000 you have the nerve to go and spend those bucks. 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:38.360 So if I'm if I'm a fan okay, and I'm 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:41.760 tuning in okay, and you're one of the hosts, and 0:09:41.800 --> 0:09:45.440 I say to you, good lord, I really really want 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:49.840 that Captain Joe Shu's action figure. But my god, it's 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:52.720 so expensive because it's so rare. It's one hundred dollars. 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:56.840 Do you guys try to talk the person into buying 0:09:56.920 --> 0:10:01.959 it or absolutely talking. What we'll do at the beginning 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:04.520 of the show is smart Mark Sterling will put out 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:08.280 a post in the Patreon Facebook group and say, if 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:10.600 there's anyone who's looking to make a purchase or there's 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:12.800 something you think you're gonna buy, let us know and 0:10:12.800 --> 0:10:14.320 we'll try to bring you on the show. You know, 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:16.720 similar to this. We'll we'll give them a link and 0:10:16.800 --> 0:10:19.640 whenever the opportunity strikes, will bring them live on the 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:24.000 show with us and they can finalize that purchase while talking. 0:10:24.120 --> 0:10:26.240 We'll talk them right through it. There was the first 0:10:26.280 --> 0:10:28.840 time we ever did it. I actually talked a guy 0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:33.840 into buying a nine hundred dollars he man playset. What 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:36.600 did you say to him? I convinced him that this 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:41.960 was a staple a staple piece in the history of 0:10:41.960 --> 0:10:44.840 toy collecting. I thought it was going to be, you know, 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:47.040 really like a historical piece, and I think the price 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:49.840 is only going to go up, And truth be told, 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:53.080 the price has gone up significantly on that. So you know, 0:10:53.080 --> 0:10:55.360 if you're buying it as an investment piece, he's done well. 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:56.960 And if you're just buying it to fill a collection, 0:10:57.000 --> 0:10:58.960 it was one of those things if you if you 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:00.319 need it to fill a collection. It was one of 0:11:00.360 --> 0:11:05.199 those things you can't be without. See. I remember falling 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:08.240 over some Australian guy because he had a good Yes, 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:10.880 he had a great accent. Yeah, okay, I remember that, 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:12.800 and I just kept saying, can you just talk to 0:11:12.840 --> 0:11:15.680 me and tell me stories. I don't remember talking to 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:18.440 anyone to about purchasing anything but that lanyard, which I 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:20.280 did not sell, by the way. A lot of times 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:22.720 what happens is we end up having such a good 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:28.920 time just besing amongst ourselves, right and bringing in other people. Obviously, 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:31.920 Matt and Brian have a lot of connections throughout the business. 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:34.160 So a lot of times it's just we bring guests on, 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:37.360 guests from the toy industry. We'll have Jeremy Padouer from 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:42.200 Jazzuar's or some of the guys from Mattel or last 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:47.840 night we had who did we have last night? Fandango 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:50.400 came on, jumped down for a little bit. Okay, So 0:11:51.000 --> 0:11:52.840 just stuff like that. And you know, Fandango is not 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:56.640 necessarily buying toys, but these people at their herd are 0:11:56.640 --> 0:11:59.440 wrestling fans, and we get some communication they get to 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:02.560 interact a little bit with Fandango, maybe ask a question 0:12:02.600 --> 0:12:04.200 in the chat that we could bring up and get 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:07.400 some answers on. So it's it's just fun for everyone involved. 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:10.320 And when you were on it just became you and 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:14.600 I really just bsing amongst ourselves, getting drunk and then 0:12:14.679 --> 0:12:17.920 yelling at people to bring us more my ties. I 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:22.400 was calling Brian Myers my pool boy. Yes, well we 0:12:22.480 --> 0:12:29.480 had Kannick, who is their merch guy. And did you 0:12:29.840 --> 0:12:33.559 I saw him in that in a big event. Yes, yes, 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:38.800 Kinnick is one of like the world's nicest people, and 0:12:39.000 --> 0:12:42.720 you and I were like screaming in his face, go 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:46.079 get us some ties. What are you waiting for, little 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:49.200 Todd Cordon. I'm so sorry. No, Kannick is great. I 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:51.880 saw him in passing. He came shook my hands, Matt 0:12:51.920 --> 0:12:54.080 came over to the table. We got to talk for 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:56.040 a little bit. He's got to pay his respects to 0:12:56.080 --> 0:12:58.400 the queen, obviously he did so that was really nice 0:12:58.440 --> 0:13:03.480 of them. But this, this whole thing is becoming an empire. 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:05.719 Like I told Brian, like I feel like you guys 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:08.040 are going to be millionaires by the time you're forty 0:13:08.120 --> 0:13:11.400 years old. Like it's spreading like wildfire and it's great 0:13:11.440 --> 0:13:14.840 because everybody's so hard working. Who is in that little clique, 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:17.319 you know what I mean? They really they really got 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:22.600 lucky with finding people who like good people willing to 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:26.600 do the work and you know, not necessarily trying to 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:30.040 just mooch or latch off them. I don't even get paid, 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:32.439 Like I'm just Brian's friend who just keeps showing up 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:35.000 and mike out. They haven't quite told me to stop 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:38.199 coming yet, so well, who would, I mean, look at you. 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:42.400 He got his first pin when I was there, and 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:44.240 it was like he won the Academy Award. It was 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:46.920 the thing I've ever seen because I I you know, 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:49.040 when you think about this, I spent like twenty years 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:52.320 in and around the business on the Indies, and it 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.680 was during like the bad period after Vince had bought everything. 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:58.360 There was nowhere to go, nowhere to work. A big 0:13:58.400 --> 0:14:01.400 crowd on the Indies went from like a thousand during 0:14:01.440 --> 0:14:04.160 the Attitude era, where now all of a sudden, a 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:06.160 big show was like, oh we got one hundred and 0:14:06.240 --> 0:14:10.240 fifty people at this hall in Jersey and the business 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:13.080 just collapsed upon itself. There was especially with all the 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:16.400 guys from the other two companies who didn't get signed 0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:19.360 to deals. Now they're flooding the indies. You had guys 0:14:19.400 --> 0:14:21.960 on the indies who had nowhere to go and progress. 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:25.440 So it just became like this cattle call for every 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:28.920 indie show where you could see every guy on every show. 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:32.320 And like, I never was a top guy. I had 0:14:32.320 --> 0:14:34.520 like a little run where I got a little bit 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:38.160 more over in certain areas. But the fact that someone 0:14:38.240 --> 0:14:40.600 took the time and like to surprise me with it, 0:14:40.640 --> 0:14:43.080 like it was total. They cafeed the hell out of 0:14:43.080 --> 0:14:45.840 me on that. So yeah, it was I was touched 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:48.880 for you. I mean it was kind of like the 0:14:48.960 --> 0:14:51.920 same with the little micro Brawler thing, Like I didn't 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:55.280 expect to get that because Brian had told me they 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:57.920 got me eight y tens. I was like, oh, that's 0:14:57.960 --> 0:15:00.240 a nice gift, very very nice. And then that came 0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:02.000 up and I didn't even know what the micro bowl was. 0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:05.600 I was like, hey, I have another little figure. How cute, 0:15:05.680 --> 0:15:09.200 And it's a it's a touching thing to be acknowledged. 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:12.600 I don't look at my like I'm not part of 0:15:12.680 --> 0:15:14.400 the show. I look at myself as like a if 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:17.080 you think of their show. Like the Simpsons. You have 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:21.040 the Simpsons, and the show always focuses around the five Simpsons, 0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:23.440 but every now and then you have these side characters. 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:26.240 You have a supporting cast. Yes, So I look at 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:30.400 myself as the Bumblebee Man of the Major Wrestling Figure podcast. 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:33.560 I'm not a Simpson. I'll never be a Simpson, but 0:15:33.600 --> 0:15:35.800 every once in a while I get to step in, 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:39.600 I say ya ya Mutossa, and then I leave exit 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:44.240 stage left. You're like, he had his moments show. Let's 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:48.320 make you MO. Yeah, I man is good, though that's 0:15:48.320 --> 0:15:53.360 a that's a discount Bumblebe Man's contributions. MO. Most this 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:57.360 guy is part of the crew. I consider you. I 0:15:57.400 --> 0:16:00.640 think Conneck is part of the crew. I'm trying to 0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:05.160 think that night. Like the kids who picked me up. 0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:08.080 I hate to say it's because they're grown men, but 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:10.880 I feel like Stang, I believe was one of them. 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:15.240 Every time I see pictures of a group, you're all 0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:18.720 in them. So I consider you guys. Like if I 0:16:18.840 --> 0:16:22.320 think I think of three names, obviously I think of Brian, 0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:25.280 I think of Matt, and I think of Mark. I 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.480 think of those three. But if you want to talk 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:31.080 about everybody, who's a part of this. You're always in there, 0:16:31.760 --> 0:16:34.920 so you are part of that crew. So don't sell 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:36.960 yourself short on that. It's just one of those things. 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:40.040 I just try to kind of keep it in line, 0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:43.840 like not like it's fun. I love doing it, but 0:16:43.880 --> 0:16:46.000 at the same time, like I try to keep it 0:16:46.040 --> 0:16:48.880 in balance, like I'm Yeah, more people follow me on 0:16:48.920 --> 0:16:51.400 Twitter now, which is fun. More people watch my YouTube stuff, 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:53.400 which is fun. When people listen to my podcast, which 0:16:53.440 --> 0:16:55.240 is we're going to get to all that. But you 0:16:55.240 --> 0:16:58.640 said twenty years ago, Yeah, when did you enter this 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:03.360 wacky world of two thousand and one? Uh so, who 0:17:03.520 --> 0:17:07.120 trained you? Johnny Rods? Well, I shouldn't say that, because 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:09.320 Johnny Rods doesn't train anyone. He sits in his office 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:13.840 and shines jewelry. Like, if if anyone out there is 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:16.080 listening to this, do not go to Johnny Rodd's school. 0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:18.560 It's a waste of money. You'll never do anything, and 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:22.359 it sucks. He really is unpredictable. Huh No, it's just 0:17:22.400 --> 0:17:27.320 completely predictable. Now, you know. I had like colleagues of 0:17:27.359 --> 0:17:30.720 mine that praised Johnny Rodgs well, like the Dreamers and 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:33.240 the tazz Is and the Devons, went Johnny's. Under a 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:35.840 different time, Johnny would be in the ring with you. 0:17:35.920 --> 0:17:39.640 Johnny would be working with you. Now he's I mean 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:42.480 when I started training Johnny, Johnny would walk by the 0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:45.080 ring and oh, Paul, you do the flaw kick, and 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:48.520 like he doesn't know anything about the business. So who 0:17:48.600 --> 0:17:51.119 actually trained you? There was a guy named mac Daddy 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:53.639 Flex who was really the guy who trained me. And 0:17:53.640 --> 0:17:57.560 he did a lot of darks for w W and TNA, 0:17:57.640 --> 0:17:59.640 and so he had gotten out there a little bit. 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:02.080 He was really the guy who took the time to 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:05.200 train me. Okay, and my partner at the time was 0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:06.960 a guy named Joe So Delicious. We used to do 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:09.840 a gimmick where it was like the uh, the Chris 0:18:09.880 --> 0:18:16.040 Farley Patrick Swayze Saturday Night Live skit. Yes, so my 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:19.480 father was six ' five, jack to the gills, like, look, 0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:22.440 looks alone, he's TV ready, And then here I come 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:24.959 this pudgy little couple stuffed with fluff, getting his head 0:18:25.000 --> 0:18:27.359 stuck in jars of honey. I was gonna say, were 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:29.560 you the Patrick Swayze of the group? Well, I mean 0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:32.520 most people would assume that, but I was shocked to 0:18:32.640 --> 0:18:35.800 learn that I was wrong. Okay, So all right, so 0:18:35.880 --> 0:18:39.199 you start you train? Now where are You're not in 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:42.040 Florida this time? Right, are your? Yeah? I grew up 0:18:42.080 --> 0:18:44.000 in New York. I grew up in Queen's training with 0:18:44.040 --> 0:18:48.040 Johnny in Brooklyn, worked a you know whatever I could 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:51.280 get myself on, in all honesty, because at that point, once, 0:18:51.480 --> 0:18:53.480 once really that invasion angle happened, like I said, the 0:18:53.480 --> 0:18:57.080 indies just collapsed upon themselves, and companies stopped running. And 0:18:57.119 --> 0:19:00.639 the companies that continued to run really had their guys, 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:03.760 and their guys weren't going anywhere at that point. So 0:19:03.800 --> 0:19:07.840 it became very difficult to get bookings unless you really 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:11.200 had someone like, you know, unless you were really networking 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:12.800 and you had someone willing to put their name out 0:19:12.800 --> 0:19:14.440 there for you or get you booked on a show 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:17.480 or so, like I ended up, I'm driving to North 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:20.960 Carolina for twenty bucks. I'm driving to Indiana for twenty 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:24.359 any these stories, I hate hearing that and that, but 0:19:24.400 --> 0:19:26.840 that's that's all it was. I know, I know, but 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:30.040 I just feel like if you're working, you should be complicated. 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:32.240 I mean, I think things have gotten a lot better now, 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:35.760 and I mean, I mean, the business is so wildly 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:38.480 different now from Oh oh, of course it is, you know, 0:19:38.560 --> 0:19:41.040 and even by by the end of ECW, I'm sure 0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:44.439 it was wildly different from when you started. Well, I 0:19:44.480 --> 0:19:48.800 never did indies, Yeah, okay, I went straight to ECW. 0:19:49.440 --> 0:19:51.639 You know, I never wanted to be a wrestler. It 0:19:51.720 --> 0:19:53.440 was just something that kind of fell on my lap. 0:19:53.440 --> 0:19:55.440 I said, let me go to this school, see what's 0:19:55.480 --> 0:19:57.680 going on because I hated my job. But I never 0:19:57.760 --> 0:20:02.000 had that indy it's experience. It was like start it right, 0:20:02.800 --> 0:20:05.800 signing a contract. Here you go, so well, you didn't 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:09.520 mis's much let me tell you that. But like now 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:13.200 you see, like indies can support themselves, Indies can travel, 0:20:13.280 --> 0:20:15.800 indies can go on the road, Guys can build. You know, 0:20:15.800 --> 0:20:19.480 we didn't have social media back then to promote yourself 0:20:19.640 --> 0:20:22.800 or even the idea of selling merch was almost like 0:20:23.080 --> 0:20:25.199 heat from the boys, like unless you were at a 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:29.160 certain level, like who is this greenhorn to be selling merch? 0:20:29.600 --> 0:20:31.760 Like nowadays, you're a moron if you don't show up 0:20:31.800 --> 0:20:34.000 at every show with a bag of merch with you, right, 0:20:34.520 --> 0:20:38.040 you have to. Yeah, it's just a different time, right, 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:41.080 Just so the last twenty years, have you worked like 0:20:41.240 --> 0:20:46.800 consistently I worked pretty consistently up until about twenty thirteen, 0:20:46.920 --> 0:20:50.160 twenty fourteen, you know, and by pretty consistently, I mean 0:20:50.200 --> 0:20:52.520 once or twice a month some you know, sometimes my 0:20:52.560 --> 0:20:54.399 bookings would go off the chart and I'd get like 0:20:54.400 --> 0:20:58.800 three or four bookings. Sure, but uh, it was just 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:02.240 we were stuck in a time too where everybody wanted 0:21:02.240 --> 0:21:06.399 that Ring of honor style. Like once that came into play, 0:21:06.880 --> 0:21:09.800 people forgot about characters, you know, because and plus that 0:21:09.920 --> 0:21:13.240 generation had grown up on the Seawan and Brett new 0:21:13.280 --> 0:21:17.760 generation where everything was Matt wrestling based and they want, 0:21:17.880 --> 0:21:20.080 you know, everybody wanted to be Sean or everyone wanted 0:21:20.119 --> 0:21:21.919 to be Brett, and I just wanted to be King 0:21:22.000 --> 0:21:26.840 Kong Bundy. So you know, like no, and I like 0:21:26.960 --> 0:21:29.080 I always you know, wrestling to me should be a 0:21:29.160 --> 0:21:32.200 variety show. You know. You should have your big fat guys, 0:21:32.240 --> 0:21:34.639 you should have your skinny guys. You should have you know, 0:21:34.760 --> 0:21:36.919 like the circus. Everyone compares it to the circus. So 0:21:37.080 --> 0:21:39.240 I've always thought that, and I think now you see 0:21:39.240 --> 0:21:41.720 that coming around a little bit more now, where like 0:21:41.760 --> 0:21:45.919 Cole Cabana was the first guy who did like comedy wrestling, 0:21:46.200 --> 0:21:48.199 you know, and did it really well, but now you 0:21:48.240 --> 0:21:50.960 have these character guys like Dan Housen. Dan Housen is 0:21:51.000 --> 0:21:54.399 a mammoth star and most people have never seen him wrestle, 0:21:54.840 --> 0:22:01.199 right right, Yeah, that's not a fan really, it's not. 0:22:01.280 --> 0:22:03.040 I just don't It's not my cup of tea. It's 0:22:03.320 --> 0:22:05.199 one of those things. I you know, I'm not like 0:22:05.240 --> 0:22:07.399 a purist. I'm not like a you know, I gotta 0:22:07.440 --> 0:22:10.800 watch these you know, catches, catch can classics. I just 0:22:10.840 --> 0:22:12.960 don't get it. But it also to me is you know, 0:22:13.000 --> 0:22:15.119