Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com
Former WWE/ECW manager/valet, “The Queen Of Extreme” Francine, was the special guest on this past week’s live edition (03/09/09) of Monday Night Mayhem, hosted by The Big Mosh & Blade. You can feel The Mayhem live & in streaming audio every Monday night (at 8PM ET/7PM CT), exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.ITunes.com, www.AudioWrestling.com, & www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem).
Francine’s return MNM appearance (her first in over four years) is now available for free in Windows Streaming Media, or via the official Monday Night Mayhem Podcast On ITunes:
Francine Interview/MNM Streaming Audio: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/030909.wax
Francine Interview/MNM Podcast On ITunes: www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/mar09/030909.mp3
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Here are some of the highlights of Francine’s interview on the show, provided by Mayhem listener, Patterson from New Jersey:
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“The Queen of Extreme” joined the program, as part of Blade’s Birthday Special, telling The Mayhem’s listening audience that “if he’s hurting at age 30, wait ’til he gets older.” Francine is very excited to be spearheading the effort in promoting one of the hottest wrestling-themed events of the summer for fans across North America to check out: “The Legends Of The Arena,” Saturday night, June 27th @ the former ECW Arena in South Philly. Francine told Mosh, Blade, & DFL that she is putting this together proudly to have this get more attention for The American Cancer Society. She mentioned that over the past year, she lost both her father & her sister to cancer. This, coupled with the fact that so many fans still had a passion for the original ECW, the idea came to her to have a show in which money could be raised for cancer research, support programs, & services. “I just started calling people, and everyone was really responsive to it….Most of them had somebody with cancer in their lives, so they were on board right away.”
Over the past several years, the WWE has expanded their Hall Of Fame to include such legends as Verne Gagne, The Original Sheik, & several other superstars who paved the way for many others, with some of these talents making their mark outside the confines of World Wrestling Entertainment. One of those greats is someone who was one of the most-memorable personalities & performers in the original ECW: “The Franchise” Shane Douglas. On the heels of Terry Funk being a member of the WWE’s “Class Of 2009,” Blade & Mosh asked Francine of what she feels Shane’s chances are. “Shane was Dean Douglas there, so don’t see him really don’t see them putting him in the Hall Of Fame at all. Do I see him going in their Hall Of Fame? No….but does he deserve to be there? Yeah.” She mentioned that the WWE is a tricky place, with a lot of their ideas & where they are coming from.. As far as Terry & Dory Funk Jr., she is thrilled for the both of them: “The Funk name is legendary in wrestling, and they deserve every accolade that they have.”
As many fans are now aware, the first-ever “Miss WrestleMania” will be crowned in just three short weeks at WrestleMania XXV: a 25-Diva Battle Royal with Divas from RAW, ECW, SmackDown, & WWE’s past. Francine mentioned that she is has been a big advocate of women in wrestling, and she feels that there is great deal of talent out there today. With regards to the topic of respect being shown to the Divas by the WWE leading into “The Showcase Of The Immortals” for this match: “To dedicate a whole segment like that to the women, I think is great for a WrestleMania…Now what they do with it is a different story….I just hope it doesn’t become a big pillow fight, and everyone running around, giggling, & that kind of thing.”
Francine was asked by Mosh & Blade about how many people come up to her over the years & how new fans have discovered the original ECW through traded tapes, DVD’s, & other mediums. She says there are many new fans who are younger kids who were not around in the prime of ECW, but who watch footage of the promotion from the glory years of Extreme Championship Wrestling. She also gets many fans who tell her that they do not watch the current product, simply because it is not like the original. “I think we all as a group left our mark on the wresting world, and nobody can touch that.. They try to bring it back, but it doesn’t come close to what it used to be.”
Over the years, the wrestling business has changed, with regards to the “believability aspect” of storylines. Francine agreed with The Mayhem Crew, saying that back in the original ECW, they tried to not have much of a gimmick. She mentioned that the WWE was kind of “cartoony” to her, and believes that due to movies like “Beyond The Mat” & numerous kayfabe things, the business has been given away to the fans. Based on this, it has taken something away from the product. “It is intriguing to see how things run backstage, but I think it gave that little element of mysteriousness to it.”
In closing, Mosh asked Francine about her feelings in being able to give back to the business, but in the process, being able to bring her family into this endeavor as well. She says that it is an amazing feeling with an amazing cause, and she really never felt the impact of cancer until it hit home. “If we can raise money & make a change in one person’s life, then all this work I am doing will be worth it.”
Many more topics are discussed in Francine’s Mayhem return, including her first meeting with Vince McMahon in the new ECW (and just how familiar he was with the original ECW), Tommy Dreamer’s retirement storyline & what is in store for his WWE future, her worst memory of her run in Extreme Championship Wrestling, & even more details about the “Legends Of The Arena” show on June 27th.
For more information on this exciting event, including how you can purchase tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime event (on Saturday, June 27th @ The Arena in Philadelphia) log onto www.TheArena.biz, or via the event’s official MySpace page, located at www.MySpace.com/LegendsOfTheArena. You have the opportunity to join former ECW stars such as “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, Tod Gordon, Sabu, Raven, The Sandman, Justin Credible, Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, Al Snow, Balls Mahoney, Axl Rotten, The bWo (The Blue Meanie/Nova), The FBI (Tracy Smothers/Little Guido), Da’ Baldies (Angel/DeVito), & many more! More names to be announced in the weeks to come. Mayhem Nation…Don’t miss out on your chance to get “extreme” one more time!
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You can feel The Mayhem live & in streaming audio every Monday night (at 8PM ET/7PM CT), exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.ITunes.com, www.AudioWrestling.com, & www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem). Monday Night Mayhem — World Wide 365…