Edge & Christian’s Pod of Awesomeness Recap
Episode 8 with Guest, Kane (Glenn Jacobs)
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
Release date: May 12, 2017
By: Jeff Indelicato
“For The Benefit of Those with No Time” (Top Stories)
- The next contest is underway with requests for a creative name for the fanbase. The winner will be a guest on May 26th.
- Kane is running for the Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.
- It was Vince & Kane’s joint decision to have him remove the mask.
- Kane’s favorite match was against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 14.
- Those who donate to the campaign will be put into a drawing to appear in a campaign commercial with Glenn himself.
“5 Second Pose of Timestamps”
0:00: Show Introduction & contest talk
23:00: Voicemails & NHL playoffs
40:00: Sponsored ad
41:30: Beginning of Kane interview
49:00: Talk of Kane’s changes in character
57:00: Working under the mask
1:11:00: Favorites to work with/Daniel Bryan storyline
1:34:00: Mayor run
1:49:00: Additional Kane stories & Close
“You Think You Know Them” (Recap)
Opening Intros, Contest Chat and Voicemails 0:00-40:00
The boys open up the show with their usual banter. Edge had just come from his daughter’s recital, and she was fantastic. Christian brings up how everyone always talks about the dreaded “Terrible 2’s” where children are supposedly more difficult to deal with at age 2. For him, his daughter was great at 2; however now as a 3-year old, it’s rough. Some ways that she’s entering the “Terrible 3’s” are by saying “no” to everything him and his wife ask. In fact, recently, when they were out home, his daughter just randomly walked out of her room screaming. She looked at her Mom & Dad, turned around, and went back to her room. Edge tells him that she’s testing how far she can go with Christian and trying to see what she can get away with. Christian agrees. Even though it can be exhausting, at the end of the day, she’ll tell him jokes and do silly things like push his face together, and those are the moments that outweigh everything else.
Talk moves over to the current contest, where listeners are asked to create a name for the E & C fanbase. The winner will be on the show, May 26th. Current submissions include: The Rated R Peep Stars, The Reeps, The 5 Second Posers, The 5 Second Posse, The Podcastronauts, and The Kazoo Klub. Edge feels that it is similar to the pop band, the Culture Club, which was fronted by Boy George. This leads into Christian belting out one of their top hits, “Karma Chameleon”, followed by Edge adding backup.
Did you know? On May 10th 1996, Edge had his first WWE match against Bob Holly. He reminisces and can’t believe that it has been 21 years already. He gives major credit to former WWE Canada President Carl DeMarco as one of the main reasons that Edge got his initial shot. This reminds Christian of a story that took place about a year later. By that time, Edge was already under a development contract and asked Christian if he’d drive him to a show. Since Captain Charisma was also a wrestler at the time, he lived by the big rule, which was to always bring your gear when going to an event. It turned out to be a good decision as he was asked to wrestle Edge that night, and they ended up having a match!
Edge keeps calling Christian “Bird Man” and feels that he should probably explain himself. Since C’s real name is Jay, his Dad used to always call him “Jay Bird.” The problem was that Christian hated it. Being Christian’s best friend, Edge felt it only appropriate to pester him with that nickname as well. Over the years, the name calling evolved into what it is today, and Jay is now the Bird Man.
Since it has been a while, the duo decide to listen to their podcast voicemail. The first is a female listener that wants to know if Tommy Dreamer can actually take off his shirt, or is he required by law to keep it on. Christian feels that there definitely should be a law requiring Tommy to keep that shirt on. He tells a story of how one time backstage, Tommy was having a conversation with someone, and he walked up behind him and pulled his pants down. Not willing to give Tommy the satisfaction, he didn’t sell it and kept having the conversation with his pants down for another 10 minutes. The next caller wants to know why Christian is such a jerk. Jay feels that he’s misunderstood, and just gets a kick out of pushing people’s buttons. Edge feels that he’s always been a giant jerk, but wonders if the real reason is because he’s a middle child. No matter the reason, it has served him well in his wrestling career, especially when he was a heel. The last voicemail was from a Southern Gentlemen who called them out and referenced Christian’s mesh wrestling top from back in the day.
The team quickly chat about the NHL Playoffs, and how the New York Rangers were recently eliminated. Edge still picks the Oilers and the Predators to make it all the way.
Ad for Sun Basket 40:00-41:30
Interview with Kane 41:30-1:49:00
The interview begins with the announcement that Glenn hates Jay. Kane clarifies by saying that he’s just very annoying. Edge agrees, and compares him to the character of Eddie Haskell from the television series, Leave it to Beaver. Christian puts over the fact that he can run faster than Kane. He then proceeds to tell a story of how when Edge first started with the WWE, Christian began having recurring dreams/nightmares about Kane that were reminiscent of a horror movie with him being stalked. Kane explains where this whole “hatred” stemmed from. He thought he and Christian were good friends until a specific instance in a Denver airport. Due to the brand split, they hadn’t seen each other in a while and ended up running into each other between flights. He was happy to see him, but due to his flight schedule, couldn’t meet for lunch, so Christian punched him in the stomach and ran away.
In another story, Christian was backstage at a show and walked into the locker room to find Kane on the floor with his eyes closed. So, he took the opportunity to take a bottle of water, and pour it on his face. That riled the Big Red Machine up enough to chase after him and throw a chair his way. Kane later apologized, even though that dastardly Christian started it.
Edge mentions how great it is to have Kane as their guest since he usually doesn’t do podcasts. He is a wrestler who has had such a variety of changes to his character and has been one of the most consistent people in the WWE. Is that something he always thought about to keep his persona fresh? Kane believes that reinventing yourself is the key to longevity, along with not getting hurt. Since the WWE produces so much original content, the key thing to keep in mind is that no matter how good you are, it’s going to run its course. He references Shawn Michaels, Triple H, E & C, John Cena, & The Undertaker as people who maintained their core but continued to have different tweaks on their characters. Kane talks about how there are a lot of negative stereotypes about the wrestling business and superstars, but people underestimate how flexible the wrestlers are in developing their characters. Edge brings up being on live TV and how it helps them prepare and educates them on performing. Kane brings up how Christian is also well-rounded in a number of different areas and references how The Rock went from being a wrestler to now the #1 movie star in the world. He adds that Vince is supportive of many things and outside ventures because he knows it’s an opportunity to showcase how talented his superstars are. Edge agrees and talks about how the WWE fan follows them in a lot of the extra things that they do, which makes them proud, and is validating.
Christian talks about how WWE is like an entertainment boot camp. To elaborate, they perform live in front of a crowd, engage in backstage skits, and are responsible for their characters evolvement. He refers back to when Glenn first began in the company and had a variety of characters that didn’t work, leading to his debut as Kane, and working under a mask. With the mask, it’s much more difficult to emote and communicate. Kane says that for him, it’s all about experience and that you should be able to learn from your failures. Those who aren’t successful are those that basically quit. As it relates to the mask, he had to learn to use his body more, which helped him as a performer. When the mask came off, the years of previous work helped him become a better-rounded performer. In his opinion, by the time 2003 rolled around, the mask had become a hindrance, and that version of the character had gone as far as it could. It was Kane and Vince’s decision to remove it, and at the time, they were the only people convinced that it was a good idea. He acknowledges now how it was one of the best things that he ever did, and wouldn’t have had the success he did if he kept the mask. The question is asked if was nervous when that time came. He was apprehensive, as he knew that Vince isn’t wrong often, but knew that there was a possibility that it may not work. Once it was off there would be no turning back, and the mystique would be lost; however, in life, you have to take risks.
Christian wanted to know if it was hard breathing in that mask. Kane never really had problems breathing in the mask, or noticed any issues, but did take a second thought when he was watching his promo in early 2002 talking with Hulk Hogan & The Rock. (That was an interesting note to me, as I remember that when Kane returned from injury in August 2002, he ditched that mask replaced it with one to show his mouth.) E & C compliment Glenn about the work with the mask, and talk about how difficult it was wearing the masks as Los Conquistadores, which the company got from Hot Topic and spray painted gold. Kane agrees and noted how it was also difficult to see sometimes, but it just takes a bit to get used to.
With someone that has had such a longevity in the business, he’s obviously been through generations of performers. Who were his favorite guys to get in the ring with? Kane hates that question, because it is limiting, and he has had the honor and privilege of working with so many great superstars. Christian understands but says that obviously, The Undertaker would be someone close to the top of the list. Kane agrees and says that he’s definitely up there, and one of the all-time greats. In fact, his favorite match ever was against him at WrestleMania 14, which he thought would be the culmination of that storyline. He mentions how he owes Taker so much, and wouldn’t be anywhere without him. Kane quickly mentions some of his favorites including: Austin, Rock, Triple H, E & C, The Hardy’s, Dudley’s, John Cena, Cesaro, Rey Mysterio, and Seth Rollins, who he sees as the second coming of Shawn Michaels.
Going back to all of his transformations, they have to talk about his work with Daniel Bryan. Kane mentions how that was one of his favorites and was such a departure because you wouldn’t have believed that he would be a comedic character. He acknowledges Bryan as another great performer that this business produced. In his mind, a lot of the success of segments depend on how good the performer is, and without a great partner in Daniel, it may not have worked. Edge points out how having the mask back on added to the comedic element. He dug the story so much that when he came back for a night, he requested to work with the two of them. Christian adds how great it was for Bryan also, because it gave him the chance to step up and prove himself, leading to his World Championship storyline later in the year.
With this conversation, Edge mentions how for a lack of a better word, how underappreciated Kane is, as he has been involved in so many pivotal moments, with a variety of contests, including the ladder matches. On paper, it doesn’t make sense, but he proved himself to be such a utility player. He was the glue of a show for that company and could be involved in any type of match while having successful feuds with Rey Mysterio all the way to the Big Show. Kane thanks him, and says that he always tried to do what’s best for business, as it’s been really good to him. In addition, people pay good money to see them perform, so you want to give them their money’s worth. A key thing for all is to remember that everyone has a gift inside them, and you just have to figure out what that is. His gift was to be a star, and it really makes him feel proud when people say that they’ve been watching for years, and thank him. Christian tells him how he was at the playground with his daughter recently and was having a conversation with another parent. As she and her son were leaving, she mentioned how he was named Kane after the wrestler, which is really neat.
Who were the ones that he grew up watching and became inspired by? Kane lists Bulldog Bob Brown & Ray Candy as the initial ones. As he got older, Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair, Sid, & the Road Warriors. What officially made him want to be a wrestler was seeing Hulk Hogan live, and experiencing the roar of the crowd.
The boys mention how Glenn is now running for the Mayor of Knox County, TN. He admits that it’s no small venture, and doesn’t like the term “giving back”, because it’s most rewarding for him, and he wouldn’t be able to do it without his time in the WWE. He is getting involved in politics because he truly wants to make a difference, and help his community to be the best that it can. He believes in a smaller government and wants to put more focus on the people. Christian remembers how back in the day, he was always interested in politics, reading, and listening to talk radio. What made now the right time to run for mayor? For Kane, it was a number of factors. The current mayor has done well but is term-limited, so he wants to continue making things good for the community, and make it even better. He’s also used to public life and has experience dealing with positive and negative comments. Edge commends him and notes that it is very gutsy and appreciates his courage. Kane feels that we as a society rely on the government too much, which causes dissension.
One of his ideas is to have a mayor’s roundtable, allowing community leaders to work together. He feels that politicians think they know the problems, but they really don’t and must be transparent. With social media, and easy accessibility, there is no excuse, and everyone should be able to contribute and participate. He feels that we as a society have a responsibility to take care of each other, but that people are getting fed up with their politicians, using the past year’s Presidential election as an example. Edge asks if there is anything that the people can do to help him in his bid for Mayor. Glenn says that they are currently trying to raise $30,000 for the campaign, so they are running a contest. A randomly selected donor will be chosen to appear in a campaign commercial with Kane himself. You must be a citizen of the United States and at least 18 years old. Those who don’t live in Knox County are still eligible but are responsible for their accommodations. E & C thank their guest, and he acknowledges that he doesn’t do podcasts because they can quickly turn negative, but this was fun and happy. He signs off.
Close 1:49:00-1:56:00
The boys mention again how great, intelligent, and nice Kane is. Christian tells a story about how one time he was watching some matches backstage, and Kane joined him while eating from a bag of Dorito’s. He generously offered one to Christian, who then proceeded to crush his bag. Knowing that he could have seriously beat him up, all he did was look at him and say, “Why would you do that?”
In another fun story, they were driving after a show and came across an old no-name hotel. Kane checked in and wrote his name down, to which the concierge looked at it, and asked if his name was Grum. Kane looked at him, and said “yep”, and walked away. He’s such a good guy, and Edge can’t wait for his Hall of Fame induction. They wrap up the show by encouraging everyone to follow the show on Twitter @EandCPod, E-Mail them at ecpodofawesomeness@gmail.com, and to call their Voicemail at 929-367-8204.
Jeff’s Take: 8 Kazoos out of 10
Great episode this week. In a call back to my review last week, Kane was interviewed over the phone but came across very clear, and audible, so I had no issue with this one whatsoever. It was great to actually get to know the Big Red Machine in a more personable manner, and it’s good to see how humble and intelligent he really is. I also love the fact that even though he is running for mayor, he has not forgotten the WWE, or tried to remove that piece of history from his life. It will be interesting to see what life has in store for Glenn Jacobs. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @the_Indel or send me an email at indelpw@gmail.com. See you next week!
About the Author
Jeff has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was knee high to a grasshopper (little kid), after coming across the Wrestling Challenge episode after WrestleMania 7, and has not looked back. His passion has led him to win wrestling trivia contests in his city and even won him his Senior Talent Show by dancing to Shawn Michaels theme song. When not annoying others with wrestling talk, he loves spending time with his family and friends and focuses on his other passion: movies.
For more, check out last week’s episode of Edge and Christian with Daniel Cormier.
Be the first to comment