WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long was a recent guest on The Shining Wizards Wrestling Podcast to talk all things about the industry, including his time in WCW and what he thinks of his signature catchphrases. Highlights are below.
Talks being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame:
“It was a great honor, and a big deal for me. I’ve always looked at The Hall of Fame, like it wasn’t for guys like managers or doing what I was doing. I thought it was just really designed for the wrestlers that get out in that ring and bust their butt each and every night and take bumps and do a lot of damage to their bodies. So those guys deserve to be in something like that. When Vince McMahon gave me the call and said he was going to do that for me, I was kind of speechless, because I was honored, and it was a big surprise because I never dreamed that I would have been in the Hall of Fame.”
On being inducted by JBL and Ron Simmons:
“No, I didn’t get a chance to pick them. They didn’t even tell me who was going to induct me until way down the line, and when I did find out… I think that was a Vince decision because he knew that when I first came into WWE that I rode with Bradshaw and Ron, ya know? It was great to have Ron and John, man. That almost brought a tear to me because these are two guys that really know me, and they helped me so much when I got there and took care of me so to have them induct me was a great honor.”
On his catchphrases:
“You know, let me tell you something about that. A lot of people thought that was something that I came up with, and I didn’t, and it didn’t happen like that. Vince McMahon… ya know, I learned his way and that’s why I was there so long. Because I learned what he liked and what he didn’t like. He came and told me one day, and he says when you introduce people like The Undertaker, and he named Triple H and other stars, he said you need to put emphasis on that, ya know what I mean? When I say, “The Undertaker,” he said make that mean something, and so that’s what I did. I just went out and started putting emphasis on The Undertaker, or you’ll go one on one, or a tag team match! That’s all I was doing, what he asked me to do. So, when I looked around, everybody loved it, so it became a catchphrase, so that’s just something that just happened.”
Whether WCW was dysfunctional during his time there:
“It was pretty stable while I was there, you know what I mean? Because like I said, I wasn’t involved in none of the big major stuff, so I didn’t have to worry about that. I just did what I did and kept on rolling. But like I said, in some parts it got real dysfunctional, but me, I’m no big star or none of that so I just tried to stay away from that and just sit and watch it.”
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