On the latest edition of Wrestling with History, Bill Apter and Ken Resnick discussed the 2020 and 2021 WWE Hall of Fame Class, including a possible building, Eric Bischoff’s impact to the business, Scott Hall’s demons, and much more. Highlights can be found below.
Bill Apter gives thoughts on the physical Hall of Fame Building:
“Way back about 20 years ago when (WWE) was going to hire me, I was going to be the curator of the Hall of Fame (back then). They have talked about a physical location. They were originally going to do it at the Debbie Reynolds hotel (in Las Vegas), then at another place, and now they’re talking about (putting it at) I think Universal or one of the theme parks was going to (host it). They do have a traveling one; every year at Wrestlemania at the fan fest they (display it)… ideally they’d love to just have it in that area near the Performance Center (in it’s) own separate building.”
Apter believes that Dynamite Kid should have been included in the Hall of Fame with Davey Boy Smith:
“My chagrin here is that both of them are not going in. I think that both of them should go in. Davey Boy of course was in the (WWE) after Dynamite (Kid) was gone and had more of a legacy in the (WWE) but I would have like to have seen them both (get in)… (Davey Boy Smith) is so deserving of this honor, I just wish they were both going in.”
Ken Resnick discusses how “ribs” can help with morale:
“In those days we were on the road sometimes 25 (or) 26 days a month and every day was a different city. Many times you’d be crisscrossing the country, and the ribs kind of contributed to just breaking up the monotony. I’ve had friends say ‘man it must have been so great to be doing all that traveling,’ but all we every saw was the airport, the hotel, and the arena!”
Resnick discusses Scott Hall’s early career in the AWA:
“When (Scott Hall) first came up to the AWA, he was quiet, he was respectful, he was (during interviews) pretty shy and a bit of an introvert… You had to be prepared because Scott was not one of those that you could throw a question (and he would) run with it. When he got (his) real first big push, he was teamed with Curt Hennig. You talk about two guys that could really work, grew up old school, respect for the business, could pace the match, knew psychology, there were never any problems with Scott in the AWA.”
Apter says Hall was changed by the WWE environment:
“Once Scott got to WWE and the culture of the WWE – a lot of the guys were drinking (a lot) and doing drugs, it was like the great rock and roll era. You’re on the road and you start doing that stuff. He went overboard and he admits it. He always told me (when I talked to him) ‘this is who I am, if a promoter wants to book me this is what you get.’… Even (Diamond Dallas) Page couldn’t really straighten him out.”
Resnick explains why Hulk Hogan was the perfect fit for the NWO:
“I don’t think that Lex Luger or Sting had the personality to be able to mix in like the four did. It was a perfect fit. People forget (that) Lex Luger back then was not the most approachable guy or the most well liked. I just don’t think that would have fit…and Sting had his own (unique) persona…he would always flourish (best) on his own.”
Apter talks Eric Bischoff:
“Eric took very heated exception to what we were printing in the magazines. He said to me, ‘the war is not Turner-McMahon, it’s Bischoff-McMahon. I have Turner’s money (but) I’m the person who’s battling with Vince McMahon (and) the (WWE).’… It was not Turner it was Bischoff, and he deserves all of the credit for getting all those 83 weeks of incredible ratings. It was all his brilliance, it really was.”
Wrestling with History drops every Wednesday on the VOC Nation Wrestling Network podcast feed.
The full episode can be found below.