Notsam Wrestling Podcast
Episode 225: DDP
Release Date: February 14th, 2019
Recap by: James Hayes
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
From New York, Sam welcomes you to the show!
Sam says there is a lot to cover today, including Becky and Charlotte, AEW, and Elimination Chamber. It’s gonna be a long State of Wrestling.
Sam has a big show at Caroline’s on Broadway in NYC. He’s had a long rivalry with The Major Brothers Podcast. And they are finally going to go head to head. Sam knows Hawkins and Ryder have something big planned, he knows they think he is shook. But Sam does not shake? Ummm.. shook? Hmmm… Sam is not easily shaken. That’s it. (Sorry, I went to public school)
“I’m the Last Professional Broadcaster, all I do is fight from underneath. We’re going to have surprises. We’re going to have retro wrestling merchandise. There will be a whole table full of old school wrestling figures for sale at the show. We’re gonna have exclusive 8×10’s. We’ve got the meet and greets. The whole show will be part Notsam Wrestling part Major Brothers Podcast.”
Here’s a personal shot at Curt Hawkins.
“If you thought the last 250 losses were humiliating for Curt Hawkins, wait until he shows up in my backyard and thinks he’s going to out broadcast the Last Professional Broadcaster. This is what I do! If you want to go mouth for mouth and mic for mic, the Last Professional Broadcaster wins every time and you can be there. I’m taking out a couple of Jabronis.”
It’s February 27th Wednesday at 7:30 pm. Caroline’s on Broadway.
We are getting a gift today. Sam had DDP over at Sirius XM on his morning show with Jim Norton. He’s going to let us hear the interview.
Here it goes!!!!!
The DDP Interview
How he made up with Ric Flair:
“We had a little tension in our careers. I never wanted it. About 9 years ago, remember when they dropped all the balloons for him? It was like the real retirement for someone. I thought to myself, ’I’m gonna fix this. I’m gonna try.’ We are both at a signing in Germany. We are in the green room. Ric came in and he got flooded with everybody. He turns around, and says, ’Hey, Diamond.’ I said, ‘Ric, can I talk to you for a sec?’ He says, ‘Sure, of course.’ I said, ‘I know over the years you and I have had heat together.’ He goes, ‘Oh, Diamond don’t worry about that.’ I go, ‘Ric, I’m not worried about it. I want to try and fix it. I don’t know what happened. I really don’t. I know you said some stuff. I said some stuff. I don’t want to feel this way about you, bro. I love Ric Flair. I would love to start all over again. I put my hand out and said, ‘I’m Diamond Dallas Page.’ And he popped and gave me a big hug and said, ‘God bless you brother.’”
Ric and The Hall of Fame:
“When I went into the Hall of Fame in 2017. I got a chance to really thank him. And it just felt so good. And I know he felt good about it. When we are getting ready to leave, you stay there for 4 days when you get into the Hall of Fame, the night before Ric and I are at the bar and he says, ‘What time is your flight?’ I go, ‘ 7:30.’ He says, ‘Who booked that?’ I go, ‘Not me.’ And he’s like, ‘You are not taking that flight. You are still in Atlanta, right?’ I go, ‘Yeah.’ He says, ‘I got a leer jet. You and Brenda are coming home with me.’ The next day we’re jet flying, limousine riding. He found out it was my birthday and the man wouldn’t let me go home. So, he took me and Brenda to dinner. He is a super special guy.”
Before Wrestling:
“I tried to wrestle at 22. I had 3 matches. I sucked. I hurt my knee. I got the opportunity to run a rock and roll bar. One bar, band in the back, small, but it was fun. I was in the business since I was a seventeen. Started as day crew, bounced, bartender. I’d done everything but be a manger. I got to manage this place. It was in South Orange, New Jersey. It was called 23 Valley Street. It was 3 bars right next to each other so it was like a hub. I got the opportunity right after I banged my knee up when I was wrestling and I sort of got away from the dream. The booze, the broads, the party. It was a lot of fun. I got lost. I was making good money. Whenever I set a goal for myself I come close to getting it or I rocket past it. I just lost it. It’s like ’78, ’79, and wrestling had not blown up yet. In ’82 with Hulk Hogan, it blew up. I was so mad I didn’t pay my dues and I stopped watching wrestling. Then one day, I see Gorilla Monsoon and this guy with a doo-rag and sunglasses. It’s Jesse Ventura. ‘Who is this guy?’ I got dressed up as him for Halloween that year. But the next match that came out the guy has a bag over his shoulder. And it’s Jake the Snake Roberts. I’m like, ‘Who is this guy?'”
Meeting Jake:
“I end up at a club down at Fort Myers in Florida. And it’s a big club. We got 6 bars and 12 bartenders. The place is bumpin’, we got 1,000 plus people on the weekend. So, if you’re in Miami and you are going to Tampa and you’re wrestling. That’s 300 miles. Right in the middle is Fort Myers. So, Jake stopped off there and I was in the back. I’m looking at the cameras at the front and I think, ‘That guy looks like Jake “The Snake” Roberts.’ So, I run around the outside of the building because it was too packed inside and go to my girl and say, ‘Judy, did a guy just walk in here who looked like Jake “The Snake” Roberts?’ She goes, ‘Yeah. Everybody thinks it’s him.’ So, I go running around the corner, and when I see him I slow down because I gotta be cool. I walk up to him and I go, ‘Are you Jake “The Snake” Roberts?’ ‘Who wants to know?’ I said, ‘The guy who runs the place.’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’ I go, ‘What are we drinking?’ We became drinking buddies.”
Going to AEW:
“You have to understand I love Cody. He is like my nephew, and I will do whatever he needs me to do, but I’m a WWE guy. I’m a WWE guy because it wasn’t the greatest when I got there but the last 8 years have been great.”
DDP Yoga on RAW:
“Triple H came up to me and said, ‘Do that thing you do. Get your stuff over. Do the foot over the head thing, people love that.’ That’s how cool they have been to me. I’m a loyal guy and they have been really good to me.”
The Best Diamond Cutter:
“I lost my mind that day. It’s Eddie’s move. Eddie walked up to me that day, and Eddie was one of the greatest ever, he came up to me because the move was super over and he knows I’m going over. ‘Hey D, you ever think about doing a Diamond Cutter out of a powerbomb?’ I was like, ‘How the hell would we even do that?’ He goes, ‘Boost me up on your shoulders.’ So, I roll him up on my shoulders. He goes, ‘Alright. boost me.’ So, all I did was throw him and he spun, and he slid down my back and landed on the ground. I went, ‘Wow, Eddie, if we could time that.’ I only did that once.”
Eddie and DDP
DDP Yoga on Raw
State of Wrestling
5. The Saga of Charlotte and Becky
Sam says three out of four of the top segments on Smackdown and Raw focused on this rivalry.
This is exactly what we wanted. This is pushing forward the narrative that this match is going to be the most important one at Mania. And the reason is not because it’s time the women get a match. It’s because the story telling and the anticipation for this match is such that the people in that building and the people at home are the most excited to see it. And the reason they are is because this is something we’ve all been waiting on for a long time.”
Sam is happy with Charlotte being the heel here, he feels it’s a natural fit.
4. AEW’s Double or Nothing
Tickets to this sold out in 4 MINUTES!!!!
“They say it’s the first time, first day sell out for a wrestling event in Las Vegas history. It’s a tremendous accomplishment.”
He’s excited about the company, although he is worried about them trying to compete with WWE.
And…
“The video of Pac… when Pac, formally known as Neville, interrupts ‘Hangman’ Adam Page it said via satellite. They acted like the cell phone video was live and in the corner of the screen, it said via satellite. It was shot vertically not horizontal so it was clearly shot on a phone. It’s not shot on a satellite phone. Like clearly this message is not being sent via satellite. If it’s live then it’s coming in through Facetime.”
“AEW should not lie, you can work, but don’t outright lie.”
Sam also hated that when the Lucha Brothers interrupted TheYoung Bucks, it was treated like they were not supposed to happen. Conrad Thompson says “I was backstage all day. The Lucha Brothers were not supposed to be here.” But their names were on screen!!!
Sam wants more cool and less carny.
3. Jay White win the IWGP Title
“New Japan is completely changing its business because of AEW. New Japan’s face is looking completely different. If you look at what the secondary tickets look like for NXT Takeover and the ROH/New Japan show at MSG, even though the Garden show sold out lightning fast on the secondary market, NXT tickets are way more expensive than ROH/New Japan tickets. Part of that is because when ROH/New Japan sold out at MSG, Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, Adam Page were all expected to be there and now they’re not. New Japan has lost a ton of their stars.”
Sam thinks this is why the title was put on White because he is locked in for a longer contract. (Makes sense)
2. The Revival win
Sam says these guys could actually start to revive (no pun) the division.
“The Revival are doing a lot to bring back tag team wrestling. Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson are not sitting there so that one day, one or the other can be a solo. They are teaming together so they can be the best tag team in the world. There’s no tomorrow. If one goes down with an injury the team is down.”
Sam wants to see more tag teams that are real tag teams, not just two superstars put together. because they have nothing else to do.
1. Elimination Chamber Predictions
Daniel Bryan wins
Ronda Rousey retains
Usos become 6 time Tag Champs
Bobby Lashley retains
Braun will defeat Baron Corbin
Riot Squad become WWE Women’s Tag Team Champs
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Overall Observations:
I just reviewed DDP on Booker T’s Heated Conversations a few weeks ago, but this time the segments were longer and he seemed a bit more engaged. I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed the State of Wrestling as always, although Sam can be a bit long winded. I think his EC predictions are spot on, except I think Kofi wins the Championship and I don’t see The Riot Squad winning.
Well done.
See ya soon!
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. When he needs a break from the seriousness of true-crime he turns to pro wrestling. James has 27 years of following the sport. You can also find his wrestling editorials at http://www.twm.news/ And here is a link to his film credits https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2026980/, as well as His Twitter @JamesHa34395813.
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