NOTSAM Podcast
Episode 210: Mick Foley, Evolution Review, Katie Linendoll Returns
Release Date: November 1st, 2018
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
Recap by: James Hayes
From New York, Sam Roberts welcomes you to the show!
Sam dressed up as Dude Love for Halloween, that was a hint that his guest would be Mick Foley. Katie Linendoll will be joining Sam for his State of Wrestling segment. She has not been on the show for quite a while. You guys have been asking for her and now she is finally back.
It’s time for Dude Love, Cactus Jack, Mankind, and Mrs. Foley’s baby boy.
Sam wonders if Mick prefers being introduced by one of his monikers or simply being called a legend.
I am Legend:
“If you are in places like Australia, they come up and say, ‘You’re a legend, mate.’ And then someone opens the door for them and they’re like, ‘You’re a legend.’ They throw it around a lot. They use it liberally. I like the specification.”
Why he came back at HITC:
“I did come back with an intent. I had a purpose. That’s the reason why many months earlier I had turned down the invitation to be back for Raw 25. I thought, ‘Let me come back when there is some substance to it and I’m glad I did.”
Physical Transformation:
“I worked the rehabs hard last year for the hip and the knee. One of the knee ligaments is a little weak, so I had a knee brace on just to make sure that bad boy would not pop out of me. And I felt really good. I could not move like that a couple years ago. Even when I lost the weight before I had the hip and knee done I needed the ropes to get into a standing position. I felt a lot better. I felt like I didn’t hold the match back. And I was showing off for Becky Lynch, I was like, ‘Lynch!’, as we were going down the stairs and I ran down a flight of stairs, which I never could have done, and the next flight, if this would have been like 3 years ago, I would literally be holding on for my life. One small step followed by another small step. I’m not talking about a small step for mankind either. I’m talking about small steps for Mick Foley.”
Suffering through the pain:
“I really worked those joints pass their expiration date. When I was the GM, and I should’ve just walked up the stairs, I had that little hop, skip, and jump approach. It wasn’t the most glamorous of entrances, but I would try to do it and I would be hurting so bad for hours after. I couldn’t even go out with people to eat. I was miserable. I would be on the flight and every time I would put a water bottle underneath my hamstrings. It was agonizing. Yeah, I will go with agonizing. Final answer. I’m doing a lot better than I was.”
Hell in a Cell:
“Let’s just disregard the fact that I did count to three at one point in the (Hell in the Cell) match. That’s a skill, man. Roman came in at the last second. There was so much speed going down that I couldn’t stop it. I was like, ‘I just ruined the match.’
(Yeah, that happened.)
Still real to me:
“There was negativity from the fan base coming from social media. Apparently, they thought WWE really allowed a 53-year-old man with a fanny pack to run a billion dollar corporation. They thought I wasn’t giving people breaks they deserved. That was the real downer. I was not used to that. Most people enjoy the show on their own merits, and we appreciate people who go out of their way to comment on it, but most of the comments were negative. I did have some say in certain instances and part of that job is learning which battles to fight and why. I would go to Mr. McMahon and tell him I’d like to handle this on my own. I have words, and how I say it, is as important as what I say. If I left 6 good impressions over the course of 8 months I think that’s a pretty good track record. That’s not bad. Pretty, pretty good.”
(For the unhip, here is the reference for that quote at the end.)
(Larry David rules!)
Taking a bigger role:
“I stopped looking (at Twitter) as much. I also started trying to contribute verbally by writing out ideas instead of pitching ideas. The game has changed. If I wanted to have more say I had to go about it in the new way, which is writing it down and submitting it. If people saw or felt like the last 6 weeks of my time there was intense, it had something to do with a firmer stance and a more central role.”
Why he loves Stephanie:
“I really enjoyed working with Stephanie. I think she is great. She backed me up so many times when my short-term memory was… She always had my back and I don’t think people realize how important that is when you zone out 10 seconds into a 5-minute interview. You go, ‘It’s great to be here… Right here in…’ And you forget the name of the town, and you have no idea what you’re supposed to do, and Stephanie would be there with a few helpful words to get me back on track.”
Fired as GM-for real:
“It was a tough job. I definitely needed some weeks off and in the interim period… Let’s just say Mr. McMahon found a shinier toy and I was no longer needed in that spot. Actually, I had a great run. 8 months. And the only thing you could ask for is a good send off. It’s like if you’re on a soap opera instead of getting killed off you get fired. And I had a glorious send-off by Stephanie McMahon. The week before when I had the face to face confrontation with Stephanie and Triple H was one of the best moments I’ve had in the business. I had that post pay-per-view rush that I hadn’t had in a very long time. That’s all I could ask for.”
Please fire me later:
“I would’ve liked to have had the WrestleMania payoff to go along with it. I would’ve liked to have been fired at Nassau Coliseum a week after Mania.”
Mick knows who the man is:
“There is some big news. To me, it’s like an Austin 3;16 moment. Becky Lynch is The Man. She came up with the name. I told her to hashtag that. It throws gender on its head, and I think that women will gladly say Becky Lynch is The Man. I think men will gladly say it. It’s a bigger statement. Somehow it makes perfect sense. I’m already onboard. I probably have something of my own that I can push like an appearance or the Jericho cruise, but I’d rather tell people Becky Lynch is The Man.”
Leaving Twitter:
“I was trying to get a Facebook post out because I deleted my Twitter account in a mature move. I was having a bad day. I had a bag of potato chips and I realize I had an addiction. I was going to go cold turkey. Maybe when I come back I can use it more responsibly. I deleted the app two years ago. It cut down on 99% of impulse tweets. I may come out of Twitter retirement just to tweet that “Becky Lynch is The Man”. I may do that right after we finish here.”
The shows:
“I loved the tour. The Hell in a Cell tour. I really enjoyed it. Then I had about 5 shows that I did after the WWE Network aired 20 Years Of Hell. So that was a little challenging, trying to come up with stuff that was a little different, but not so different that it was an entirely different show. It was really a lot of fun trying to find different ways to engage an audience. And I look forward to coming back.”
Be on the lookout for Mick’s upcoming Network specials.
For more of this interview, including Mick’s favorite female singer-songwriters, click the link at the top.
Mick Foley fired from Raw
Mick wins everything
Back on the show is Katie Linendoll. She is happy to be back. They are both busy, but it finally happened.
Katie talks about her Halloween experience. She kept it real and dressed up as Sting.
Wanna see it?
https://twitter.com/KatieLinendoll/status/1057289778566230017
“It was a little dicey walking around New York City with a bat, dressed as Sting. It was a little controversial. I don’t know how I got past security at CBS radio, but I did. It was a strong performance. You forget that you’re covered in paint, so you try to get an Uber, you’re yelling at your Uber because your Uber is yelling at you. You try to go on as if life is normal, but it’s not normal. It was good times,” Katie says.
Sam is proud that she committed to her character.
“Halloween can be an opportunity to ho it out! That’s not my M.O. I like to do the weird characters. I don’t like to go in that direction.”
(Let’s stop flirting with S.O.W. and bang it out!)
State of Wrestling
5. Evolution
Katie cannot believe that moment happened. She was nervous because she wanted it to be amazing out the gate. She loved it from start to finish. It felt like an indie show to her. She especially loved the intensity of that Last Man Standing match. (It’s a great show and Becky and Charlotte truly showed what women can do if they are given time.)
Sam worried if there were any flaws it would be blamed on the women. He was glad the show delivered. He noticed the stripped down set for the show. At first he was not sure how he felt about it, but in the end, it did not hurt the show. Sam feels 3 hours was a good amount of time. Not too long or short.
Sam also gives the audience their props, “In terms of WWE PPV’s this year, I don’t know if there was a more engaged audience from start to finish than Long Island watching this show. The crowd was on fire from beginning to the end of the show. It felt like they were into everything.”
Katie enjoyed the main event almost as much, “To me that was the celebrity match. I thought that was really well played. You go from Last Man Standing, which onto itself, was its own beast, then you go to the celebrity match to culminate it. Each one was so different. Every match was so different.”
Bottom line is they both loved it!
4. Survivor Series build
Sam discusses Nakamura vs Seth Rollins as a dream match. The real big match is Rousey vs. Lynch. Sam asks Katie if this match is happening too quickly. Katie says, “I personally want this story to build a little longer. It is happening in just a matter of weeks.”
Sam believes it could just be the build to a series of matches between these two.“If we have Ronda beat Becky in some way, shape, or form and then they part ways for months, Becky remains dominant and then we find some other context to have them meet again.”
Katie just wants to avoid the Nakamura vs. Styles feud. (They fought over and over to a bunch of no finishes.) Sam agrees but has faith in Becky and her skill set.
3. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Leukemia
Katie felt a little uneasy about mixing Roman Reigns all too real sickness into this storyline. She has worked 8 years with pediatric cancer, and also works with The Batcole Foundation. So, she sees this storyline very different than many fans may.
Check out Batcole here: https://batcole.foundation/
Sam was okay with it because he believes that Roman was okay with this storyline. He also feels that Roman is a company man who believes the show must go on. He also knows that Seth and Dean are his brothers, and he’d want their feud to get over.
2. Johnny Gargano Heel Turn
Sam loves it because it’s unpredictable.
Katie thinks this is “electric” and “powerful” storytelling.
Katie and Sam both feel NXT is hitting EVERYTHING out of the park!
The Heel turn
1. HBK Returns!
Sam says it’s one of the biggest stories of the year. He talks about the show he did with HBK. Shawn broke down in detail why his character would not return. Sam is shocked that he changed his mind, and even more surprised, that he is now bald. (Me too. I always wondered if that was the source of his power. Oh wait, that could be Triple H.)
Katie is wondering why Michaels is coming back now when he refused to return for years. She has a problem with people saying they are retiring, then changing their minds. Not just wrestlers. Everybody does this and she seems to be drawing a line in the sand!
Sam says Stone Cold Steve Austin is the greatest because he never returned. He never even had a farewell match.
Sam will accept this un-retiring business only if HBK wrestles more than some tag match with Triple H. He wants more. If he’s coming back, let him wrestle some stars in NXT, like Tommaso Ciampa.
Rating: 8.0 out of 10
Overall Observations:
I enjoyed the Mick Foley interview. Mick is always a charming guest. Sam has an easy chemistry with him that only comes from years of being friends. They were both funny and entertaining. As far as Katie Linendoll is concerned, she shows exactly why the fans have missed her on Sam’s show. This young lady brings humor, humanity, and logic to her take on this crazy sport. All three are needed a lot more. Have her back soon, Sam. She classes up the place.
Good show.
See ya next week!
About James:
Based out of New York, James Hayes is an independent filmmaker and podcaster, currently working on a true crime series focused on African American crime. He has followed pro wrestling for over 27 years. Here is a link to his film credits https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2026980/, as well as his Twitter @JamesHa34395813.
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