I tell ya' Phil is a genius. The way he ran his show was superb. He wasn't afraid to ask the questions we wanted answers to and he didn't let guest takeover.
I was on this show, although they've seemed to cut most of me out. We were all sitting in the green room and Phil came in with Vince. Vince said "Hello, gentlemen" and everyone just gave him the evil eye and said nothing. Bruno refused to sit next to Vince, so I sat next to McMahon and we eventually began elbowing each other trying to push each other off of the chairs.
Meltzer said that Vince had Dave Schultz bumped off the show and asked for a certain amount of plants in the audience before he'd agree to appear, which explains why Miss Elizabeth is in the crowd.
I wouldn't call Owen Hart's death premeditated, but its a fact that Owen Hart has requested for his release so that he could go to WCW, where the rest of the Hart family was going. Vince was pissed off about Owen speaking to Bret, a WCW wrestler. Bret had a deal all set up for Owen to jump over to WCW. Instead, Vince refused to let him go, punished him with the Blue Blazer gimmick, which Owen hated. There was no safety trainer present when Owen was forced to lower him self down to his death.
A friend and I once helped set up a ring (for free tickets and a chance to say hello to some of the stars) when they were doing a house show in Manchester NH - And Patterson did get a bit touchy with one of the ring boys. Jay Strongbow and Tony Garea came out and told him to lay off the kid. Then Patterson was kind of relegated to the locker room and that was pretty much the end of seeing him all evening. Later the allegations came out and I believed them having seen him in action firsthand.
Weekend of champions convention at the LaGuardia Ramada.Terry Funk, Sabu,Jake the Snake Roberts,Bruno,Albano,Konan,Arezzi lost his shirt never recovered from that.
Let's clear some things up: "Superstar Billy Graham was furious at first regarding his release papers because there was a clause in the release that stated he wouldnt be able to use his name in any capacity related to wrestling any longer. What happened was WWE made a mistake in sending him a form letter release, with terms that didnt apply to him." -credit: WrestlingObserver ) Billy only lost his salaried consulting job. I feel less bad for him considering he almost ruined a man's life..
Ok, let me reiterate and further explain what I meant in my comments that this was all a work. What I meant was, the Donahue show was a work. Everyone was told what to say and when to say it. The first thing you all need to realize about the world of pro wrestling is, EVERYTHING is a work. If it wasnt, Bruno would not EVER be going into the WWE HoF. Everything in the world of pro wrestling is a WORK. From the promoters to the performers to the doctors to the henchmen...........ALL OF IT!!!!
He used to host a wrestling radio show with Vince Russo back in the day but then Russo wanted to work with McMahon and Arezzi didn't so they broke off with one another. Amazed to hear Arezzi is still around, tho not in the biz anymore. I have one of his wrestling conventions from the early 90s on tape.
How the hell did Pat Patterson keep his job let alone his freedom? The fact that he was part of the storyline during wwe's most popular run around 1999 is flat out bullshit. Makes you wonder what type of person would protect a man like that. Oh yeah I know another scumbag that makes a living being a glamorous liar. Makes perfect sense now
Drugs were accepted as a lifestyle at one point back i the day. But I've been backstage at Monday Night Raw several times and Vince hires all of the old time wrestlers from a wide array of organizations. I saw Ric Flair, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter, Michael P.S. Hayes, Dusty Rhodes and others sitting at the same table. I guess he hired them on as writers or even occasional talent but Vince (jr.) is responsible for taking wrestling to another level. Raw and Smackdown are thriving.
Brody was going to be calling the shots? Ok, I didn't even know he had a lot of stock in the company! You are very knowledgable, thanks for the info! It's a shame that wrestling is like that!
i remember seeing this went it originally aired. this was when all the behind the scenes shit hit the fan. crap like this has always gone on and it always will
Vince is right, if there's a crime YOU CALL THE COPS!!!!!! I love how Superstar itched his nose with his middle finger directly after. As for Vince ignoring drug users... Of course he'd ignore it. Wrestlers are rare when compared to baseball players, or most other sports.
depends on the child, i know when i was 10 years old and if someone of adult age did something inapropriate to me i would try to fight him or tell my parents or someone right away, it all depends on how you're raised and knowing right from wrong
@clovisman It was a tough business and he was a business man first and foremost. He took care of himself and his family first. But when he told you he'd do something and do business he would. Frank Goodish was a man's man.
didnt bruno go on larry king and say it was around 1986 or 1987 when mel phillips and the kid in the car occurred? graham says 1982 --- this is important b/c vince sr. died in 1984.
For those who may not know, the "friend" Meltzer was talking about at 9:07 was the late Bruiser Brody, but the example is complete BS. The fact that it happened in PR tells you everything you need to know. If it happened in the USA, it would've been a different story. The murder of Brody and what was happening in the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s and 1990s is not even comparable. The irony is that Meltzer comes across as yet another person who doesn't want to "snitch", an apologist.
Graham, along with many other wrestlers that blow the whistle, all have one thing in common: They all do it after McMahon has fired them. It screams petty vindictiveness. All of them are willing to keep their mouth shut as long as they're getting a paycheck from Vince.
Superstars no longer bitter with mcmahon anymore i put there differences a side back in 2002 after superstar recover from liver cancer surgey. as for Bruno that man has too much bitterness on mcmahon and won't let ago even refuse to be inducted into the hall of fame.
I love how this is in 1992 and 20 years later Vince's WWE is a live and well. None of these steroid users have died yet, heck even Andre the Giant and Texas Tornado was still alive. Now in 2012 so many wrestlers, cause of steroids, are buried deep in the dirt. Bruno (I believe) is still a live in 2012, the Ultimate Warrior is still a live in 2012, and unlike Macho Madness, Hulkamania will never die.
Mel Phillips and Terry Garvin had to leave the WWF over the ring boy allegations. I think Pat Patterson either left or stepped down but was back quickly.
Damn shame knowing now that SSBG was B.S.ing the whole way........and in the end Vinnie still took him back, embraced him and and let him have the induction celebration he deserved for his services to the business.....Same deal with Bret at present.....nice to see the two of them come back together and forget the ugly past!
@ant8tfive The thing was Greg Valentine did the same thing to a fan as David Sammartino and never got reprimanded.Bruno is definitely a bitter man and still is very much so 17 years after this aired.
It trip me out how Billy Graham blames Vince b/c used steroids. No one placed a gun to his head and told him to use that stuff. He can't Vince because of his decision. Take some fucking responsibility man!
if Brody was killed because of self defense, why did Jose Huertas Gonzalez have a big ass hunting knife in the locker room in the first place? Why did Carlos Colon make that knife disappear after Jose slashed Brodys guts open with Brodys intestines ripped out of his body? WWC murdered Brody because he had a lot of stock in the company and nobody wanted Brody calling the shots.
You know, I don't have any respect for Vince, but let's be honest, he makes a good point--if you witness something, you should alert somebody. If you don't, then you're no help to anybody. All these people who say "Well, I saw this happen, I saw that happen, this child was abused, etc", but then why didn't they report it? No disrespect to Superstar Billy Graham, he blew the lid off this stuff, but Vince makes a fair point, if it's that bad, you report it when it happens.
Credit to Donahue for talking about this issue early before most in the media. This show was ahead of it's time.
Man, Meltzer looked like an 80's soap star with that mullet. I love the Observer though
I tell ya' Phil is a genius. The way he ran his show was superb. He wasn't afraid to ask the questions we wanted answers to and he didn't let guest takeover.
Look at Dave Meltzers hair. You can tell it was the early 90's.
@619 OG So.
I was on this show, although they've seemed to cut most of me out. We were all sitting in the green room and Phil came in with Vince. Vince said "Hello, gentlemen" and everyone just gave him the evil eye and said nothing. Bruno refused to sit next to Vince, so I sat next to McMahon and we eventually began elbowing each other trying to push each other off of the chairs.
Wait whattttttttt???????
Pat Patterson is the Jerry Sandusky of pro wrestling.
9:12....Bruiser Brody's murder
This is awesome, Bruno, Superstar and Vince in the same room on tv and at the point they all hate each other.
Meltzer said that Vince had Dave Schultz bumped off the show and asked for a certain amount of plants in the audience before he'd agree to appear, which explains why Miss Elizabeth is in the crowd.
vinces look on his face 3:57 on the car incident priceless
WOW, Vince doesn't want you to see this one, hell, he prob don't even rember it!
I wouldn't call Owen Hart's death premeditated, but its a fact that Owen Hart has requested for his release so that he could go to WCW, where the rest of the Hart family was going. Vince was pissed off about Owen speaking to Bret, a WCW wrestler. Bret had a deal all set up for Owen to jump over to WCW. Instead, Vince refused to let him go, punished him with the Blue Blazer gimmick, which Owen hated. There was no safety trainer present when Owen was forced to lower him self down to his death.
RIP Phil Donahue 2024-08-18
funny that bruno sammartino is on wwe's hall of fame
Bruno is now in the WWE Hall of Fame!
A friend and I once helped set up a ring (for free tickets and a chance to say hello to some of the stars) when they were doing a house show in Manchester NH - And Patterson did get a bit touchy with one of the ring boys. Jay Strongbow and Tony Garea came out and told him to lay off the kid. Then Patterson was kind of relegated to the locker room and that was pretty much the end of seeing him all evening. Later the allegations came out and I believed them having seen him in action firsthand.
awesome, thanks Review-A-Wai for bringing this up :)
Was this the last time Bruno and Vince were in the same room together?
No they met before Bruno died he was inducted into the Hall Of Fame
Weekend of champions convention at the LaGuardia Ramada.Terry Funk, Sabu,Jake the Snake Roberts,Bruno,Albano,Konan,Arezzi lost his shirt never recovered from that.
Let's clear some things up:
"Superstar Billy Graham was furious at first regarding his release papers because there was a clause in the release that stated he wouldnt be able to use his name in any capacity related to wrestling any longer. What happened was WWE made a mistake in sending him a form letter release, with terms that didnt apply to him." -credit: WrestlingObserver )
Billy only lost his salaried consulting job. I feel less bad for him considering he almost ruined a man's life..
Ok, let me reiterate and further explain what I meant in my comments that this was all a work. What I meant was, the Donahue show was a work. Everyone was told what to say and when to say it. The first thing you all need to realize about the world of pro wrestling is, EVERYTHING is a work. If it wasnt, Bruno would not EVER be going into the WWE HoF. Everything in the world of pro wrestling is a WORK. From the promoters to the performers to the doctors to the henchmen...........ALL OF IT!!!!
Someone else had this up a while back, or maybe still does. This isn't part 1 btw. Anyway I'm digging Meltzers hair, what a cool cat.
Superstar Billy Graham throws Vince under the bus....flash forward, He's now in the Hall of Fame in the WWF. Strange.
Superstar Billy Graham was Vince's Favourite wrestler
He used to host a wrestling radio show with Vince Russo back in the day but then Russo wanted to work with McMahon and Arezzi didn't so they broke off with one another. Amazed to hear Arezzi is still around, tho not in the biz anymore. I have one of his wrestling conventions from the early 90s on tape.
Holy crap Vince looks pissed
Meltzer blew the whistle on all this and i follow the steroids trail via his wrtings, and i remeber this as a kid.
JON
How the hell did Pat Patterson keep his job let alone his freedom? The fact that he was part of the storyline during wwe's most popular run around 1999 is flat out bullshit. Makes you wonder what type of person would protect a man like that. Oh yeah I know another scumbag that makes a living being a glamorous liar. Makes perfect sense now
Notice how Phil finishes people's sentences and talks over people?
good stuff, looking forward to the rest
Drugs were accepted as a lifestyle at one point back i the day. But I've been backstage at Monday Night Raw several times and Vince hires all of the old time wrestlers from a wide array of organizations. I saw Ric Flair, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter, Michael P.S. Hayes, Dusty Rhodes and others sitting at the same table. I guess he hired them on as writers or even occasional talent but Vince (jr.) is responsible for taking wrestling to another level. Raw and Smackdown are thriving.
RIP Super Star Billy Graham
Brody was going to be calling the shots? Ok, I didn't even know he had a lot of stock in the company!
You are very knowledgable, thanks for the info!
It's a shame that wrestling is like that!
Check out Tony Atlas interview on you tube (just type in Tony Atlas) He was at the Brody stabbing. Very interesting what he says!
He's from the country just south of Austria, so he's not far off.
i remember seeing this went it originally aired. this was when all the behind the scenes shit hit the fan. crap like this has always gone on and it always will
I love how Billy Gram blames anyone & everyone else for his problems, addictions and troubles. Typical addict behavior.
Wow Dave's hair. I can't believe there was a time when talk show hosts wore suits.
patterson.........i used to look up to that guy
Vince is going head to head with a dude about him protecting a child molester and he still refers to him as "Superstar". Genius.
Vince McMahon was in character even on this serious show.
lmao that was the first thing that came to my mind lol
Graham lied(he said so himself) and Meltzer had some JACKED UP hair.
Graham isn't lying about the ring boys... It's common knowledge.
Also during the mid 80's to early 90's Rampant Mullet Abuse & Usage
Its funny they blame vince like he is their father or something
ben martz Vince McMahon has got to look out for his talent.
Vince is right, if there's a crime YOU CALL THE COPS!!!!!! I love how Superstar itched his nose with his middle finger directly after.
As for Vince ignoring drug users... Of course he'd ignore it. Wrestlers are rare when compared to baseball players, or most other sports.
business in front and partyin in the back..lmao
depends on the child, i know when i was 10 years old and if someone of adult age did something inapropriate to me i would try to fight him or tell my parents or someone right away, it all depends on how you're raised and knowing right from wrong
Holy Crap Bruno Sammartino Billy Graham Vince Machon and Leslie Neilson wow this is great
This video is really interesting, I've only realised I've never seen Vince act like this out of character.
@clovisman It was a tough business and he was a business man first and foremost. He took care of himself and his family first. But when he told you he'd do something and do business he would. Frank Goodish was a man's man.
lol Billy Graham stumbled over his words so much
Pat Patterson is code for Sandusky! lol
didnt bruno go on larry king and say it was around 1986 or 1987 when mel phillips and the kid in the car occurred? graham says 1982 --- this is important b/c vince sr. died in 1984.
Chris Benoit will be on Oprah next week!
Barbiturates lol. That’s sooooooo old school. I don’t even think barbiturates are produced anymore.
funny how much everyone liked wrestling back then .. now it's not even the same .. people don't like it near as much since this
I agree about Patterson, but why Michaels?
Vince gave him all copyrights back to the name as they realiezed that they do not own the name of Billy Graham Superstar Billy Graham or Wayne Coleman
Man look at Bruno's califlower ears.
For those who may not know, the "friend" Meltzer was talking about at 9:07 was the late Bruiser Brody, but the example is complete BS. The fact that it happened in PR tells you everything you need to know. If it happened in the USA, it would've been a different story. The murder of Brody and what was happening in the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s and 1990s is not even comparable. The irony is that Meltzer comes across as yet another person who doesn't want to "snitch", an apologist.
yooo respect for that black dude in the crown wearing that oooold school malcolm X hat LOL
Gotta hand it to Vince. For all these years of slander and accusations, whether true or not, he held his own and protected his baby the WWE.
Do you have the full show?
And 15 years on, after Vince allowed drug abuse to continue, 100+ of his wrestlers have died prematurely.
Pat Patterson ....damn
Graham, along with many other wrestlers that blow the whistle, all have one thing in common: They all do it after McMahon has fired them. It screams petty vindictiveness. All of them are willing to keep their mouth shut as long as they're getting a paycheck from Vince.
That's not Dave Meltzer. That's Paul Diamond.
vince looked SOO pissed while SSBG was talking shit... I believe after this show vince made the decision not to do anymore tv interviews.
Superstars no longer bitter with mcmahon anymore i put there differences a side back in 2002 after superstar recover from liver cancer surgey. as for Bruno that man has too much bitterness on mcmahon and won't let ago even refuse to be inducted into the hall of fame.
what year was this?
Grown adults taking steriods is one thing, but ignoring or not reporting child sex abuse is just flat out wrong
RIP Bruiser Brody.
Wai ting brought me
karma will catch up with Vince eventually. It always does.
Did anyone else mention that Dave Meltzer looks just like Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer? (I'm too lazy to scroll through all the comments....)
I love how this is in 1992 and 20 years later Vince's WWE is a live and well. None of these steroid users have died yet, heck even Andre the Giant and Texas Tornado was still alive. Now in 2012 so many wrestlers, cause of steroids, are buried deep in the dirt. Bruno (I believe) is still a live in 2012, the Ultimate Warrior is still a live in 2012, and unlike Macho Madness, Hulkamania will never die.
Now they’re dead minus hogan
that guy next to dave meltzer looks like Kenny Bolin
Mel Phillips and Terry Garvin had to leave the WWF over the ring boy allegations. I think Pat Patterson either left or stepped down but was back quickly.
Why is Leslie Nielsen presenting this?
what would the response be if I tried to "send off" for a pair of tickets to the Donahue show?
John Arezzi looks like Kenny Bolin.
Damn shame knowing now that SSBG was B.S.ing the whole way........and in the end Vinnie still took him back, embraced him and and let him have the induction celebration he deserved for his services to the business.....Same deal with Bret at present.....nice to see the two of them come back together and forget the ugly past!
please superstar!
lol meltzer looks like a young raven
vince mcmahon's greed and ego will be his downfall
cool story bro, need more caps
@ant8tfive The thing was Greg Valentine did the same thing to a fan as David Sammartino and never got reprimanded.Bruno is definitely a bitter man and still is very much so 17 years after this aired.
I was on this show and was the first one out with Vince McMahon. "Somehow" that's cuit out. I kept getting cut off by Phil too.
This whole scandal is the best thing that ever happened to the WWF.
They're out there but ppl are just ignorant and defend vince. The sad thing is most of the talent that went through all this have passed on:(
It trip me out how Billy Graham blames Vince b/c used steroids. No one placed a gun to his head and told him to use that stuff. He can't Vince because of his decision. Take some fucking responsibility man!
Bruno Sammartino = A Wrestling God
if Brody was killed because of self defense, why did Jose Huertas Gonzalez have a big ass hunting knife in the locker room in the first place? Why did Carlos Colon make that knife disappear after Jose slashed Brodys guts open with Brodys intestines ripped out of his body? WWC murdered Brody because he had a lot of stock in the company and nobody wanted Brody calling the shots.
Vince may be a lot of things, but Billy Graham is and was responsible for his own behavior.
guess what i just wrote to DONAHUE TICKETS
King Kong Brody wasn't killed in self defense.
Vince MacMahon looks like Al Bundy.....
A younger version of Ed O'Neill
You know, I don't have any respect for Vince, but let's be honest, he makes a good point--if you witness something, you should alert somebody. If you don't, then you're no help to anybody. All these people who say "Well, I saw this happen, I saw that happen, this child was abused, etc", but then why didn't they report it? No disrespect to Superstar Billy Graham, he blew the lid off this stuff, but Vince makes a fair point, if it's that bad, you report it when it happens.