Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com
Former WWE diva & backstage announcer, Terri Runnels, was one of the special guests on this past week’s live edition (04/14/08) of Monday Night Mayhem (presented by Sweet Sunshine Sauces) — which can be heard in streaming audio every week (hosted by The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL), and heard LIVE at 8PM ET/7PM CT every Monday night) exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com).
This Mayhem exclusive (co-hosted by The Mayhem’s National Correspondent & former ECW official, The Monster Factory’s Jim Molineaux & WrestleView.com’s Adam Martin) can now be heard for FREE in Windows Streaming Media, or via podcast/the MNM On ITunes.
April 14th Monday Night Mayhem (Windows Streaming Media): www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/041408.wax
April 14th Monday Night Mayhem (Official MNM Podcast):
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/mondaynightmayhem/~3/271027420/041408.mp3
Also, check out the official MNM Podcast Page (featuring the 04/14/08 edition of The Mayhem, in addition to more than 90+ archived editions of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio”). You are able to download your favorite editions of The Mayhem…and listen to them at your own leisure. Another exciting feature for you, our loyal listeners — brought to you by “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio.”
Here are some of the highlights from Joe’s interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem’s host, John “The Big Mosh” Masiulionis.
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The Big Mosh, Jim Molineaux, & Adam Martin welcome Terri on board The MNM airwaves, and she extends her thanks to The Mayhem for her first-ever show appearance.
Terri will be appearing at the UWF live events on May 1st (Colonial Heights, VA) & May 2nd (Harrisonburg, VA), in which some you fans have the opportunity to support The Hermie & Elliott Sadler Foundation projects, Autism Speaks, & Kyle Petty’s Junction Gang Camp. Besides Terri, you fans can have the opportunity to manage such stars as: WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler, Scotty 2 Hotty, Samoa Joe, Shark Boy, Matt “Spike Dudley” Hyson, Joey Matthews, & many more. You can also bid to become the guest ring announcer for the main event match both nights. Check out www.UWFUSA.com, as the auction runs through April 28th. Terri wants her #1 fan to win her part of the charity auction, so if you think you are Terri’s biggest fan ever, now is your chance to make your voice heard, help out a noble cause, & and be rewarded in the process!
Mosh asks Terri if the transition to performing full-time in the WWE to extracting herself from the business entirely has been an easy or difficult one. Terri said “both yes & no.” For the first year & a half after leaving World Wrestling Entertainment, she relished in her new role of a stay-at-home mom. After that, she purchased her own business involving youth soccer. Terri loved her eighteen years she spent in the professional wrestling (“It’s in your blood…You can’t ditch it.”). Even though she loved her time in the road, there came a time when “the performer in her” could not watch the product. She said that it was nice to be able to step away, and that leaving was a sort of “cathartic effect.” However, the memories of the business will never leave her.
Many fans remember Terri’s introduction into the business as Alexandra York in World Championship Wrestling, and how that character very much differed from the controversial Marlena character in the WWE. Terri went on record with The Mayhem, saying she came up with the name of her WCW persona, while Tony Schiavone & Old Anderson that did the rest. At the time when Dustin was in the WWE, she felt that something was missing when it came to the women in the company: they had Sunny currently on the roster, and “Sensational” Sherri Martel had just left — so they had “a hard-hitting” woman & a “cheerleader-esque” woman, but she believed that the WWE did not have a “sexy” performer, one who could possibly be a valet or manager for Goldust. Terri’s sister had a doll from many a years that was named “Sun Goddess” by Bob Mackie, and that’s where Marlena’s “visual” came from. Dustin advised her to call Vince McMahon to pitch the idea, which she did. In the process, she landed up hearing back from Pat Patterson, who more or less said “We’ll be in touch.” Not that long after that conversation, she received the word that the WWE was going to work in her idea. She was hoping that just as the Goldust character was going to be over-the-top from a dramatic performance standpoint that hers could be as well (similar to the actress from the 1950’s, Marlena Dietrich, from her day). Terri was a huge fan of cigars, and asked Vince if she could incorporate that into her character. Originally, the cigar was not lit at all, but after telling him “that looked stupid,” she was able to smoke the cigars during the matches for the full effect she had wanted, and as Terri said…”the rest was history.” Plain & simple, she loved working with Dustin as Marlena & Goldust.
Plus, in her first interview/public comments since leaving World Wrestling Entertainment close to four years ago, Terri Runnels graced the airwaves (along with The Mayhem’s National Correspondent, The Monster Factory’s Jim Molineaux & WrestleView.com’s Adam Martin) to discuss coming back to the business, as well as break down her run as “Marlena” in the WWE & teaming with her husband (Dustin “Goldust” Rhodes), her memories of working with the late Brian Pillman, managing The Hardy Boyz (and the infamous Terri Invitational Tournament vs. Edge/Christian) & Perry Saturn, her time as Alexandra York in World Championship Wrestling, as well getting her thoughts on the product of today & the current crop of divas/knockouts, and the transition of life from inside the squared circle to outside of the business — into working on her latest projects with children of all ages, her speaking engagements, & much more!
1996 into 1997 saw the advent of more “reality-based” storylines in the WWE. Fans to this day do not forget the angle between Goldust & the late Brian Pillman, with Terri at the center of the on-camera feud between the two. A decade after his passing, Terri wished to reflect on Brian’s contributions to the business (which she described as “extremely important”), as well as one of the most controversial angles in professional wrestling history. As many people already know, Terri went out with Brian for a brief period of time in WCW. Around that time, Brian found out that he was going to be a father & that his former girlfriend was pregnant, so they thought it would be best to just remain friends. She feels that had Brian not passed, the angle between the three of them would have been one of the best angles this business has ever seen. She let The Mayhem know what was really supposed to happen in the angle: After Brian’s “possession” of Terri had expired after the 30 days, Dustin & Terri were going to renew their vows in the center of the ring. When it would have come to someone objecting, Brian was to have interfered, leading to him & Dustin coming to blows. In the meanwhile, Terri was to have stayed in the center of her ring in her gold wedding dress, then jumped over Brian’s bloody, beaten, & lifeless body, shocking Dustin & the worldwide audience by managing Brian from that point onward. The angle would have continued from there. The night before Brian passed away, Goldust & Brian had worked a house show, and Terri vividly remembers Brian as he was “extra rough” that night in the match. After the event, she had offered to Dustin to give Brian a ride back to the hotel, which never materialized. She did feel, at that time, he was “partaking in some things he should have not been partaking in.” Looking back on that night, it’s hard for her to say had & Dustin given Brian a lift back that things might not have gone down the way they did, where he was found dead prior to the PPV that next morning. She is very sad that Brian not only left behind a wife, but a daughter as well. “Wrestling lost a great wrestler…and I lost a great friend.”
Fast-forwarding several years, Terri played a very integral role in the furthering of the feud between The Hard Boyz & Edge/Christian, and the establishing of the Terri Invitational Tournament (the acronym she was “not that proud of”). Terri was very pleased at the finished product of the angle between both teams, as well as how it launched their respective careers, and of course…the teased sexual nature of the whole tournament. Even though she was not old enough to be their mother, she cared about both Matt & Jeff like a motherly figure. Terri was very glad that she was able to work with both Edge & Christian as well, as she had known them for a while as well. If there is anything she could take from the entire angle, it was that “the time was fun.”
She did not see her transition from her in-ring persona to her backstage announcer role as any sort of a challenge…actually quite the opposite. Terri told Mosh, Jim, & Adam that doing that “her best memories” were doing just that — including her interviewing her time on RAW, as well as hosting WWE Excess with The Coach. She saw this new chapter of her career as a way to still get over with her fans, and not necessarily “sell herself out.” Personally, she would have liked to have seen Excess last a little bit longer, especially with how well she worked with Jonathan Coachman, and if it had lasted, she would have preferred more of an ad-lib & less scripted format of the show.
Terri was very candid about her opinions on the concept of the WWE Diva Search….”I do not like them at all….It waters down the product…The women in the industry are like icing on the cake…Too much icing spoilers the cake…It’s too much icing on the cake…It should be in the right doses & of the right sort.” She feels that when the whole “Divas” concept took off, that they were “forced” down the fans throats, and it should be the opposite way around.” Terri believes there are too many women in today’s business, despite all of them being beautiful — but many of them lack character. “It should be majority men, and the women should be the icing on the cake.”
Adam, Jim, & Mosh gear up with a little Monday Night Mayhem Word Association:
The retirement of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair: “Sad…It breaks my heart to never be able to see him inside the ring ever again.”
Perry Saturn: “Love him and miss him.” She has lost touch with Perry, so if anyone has the abilities to get in touch with Perry that might be listening to this MNM interview/or reading this recap, Terri would like to catch up with him!
Eric Bischoff: “Canadian announcer with WCW”
Joanie “Chyna” Laurer: “Disappointed.” Her daughter always used to call her “Ms. Big Joanie, and used to travel with her…not once seeing her even pick up a drink of any kind…Seeing her become what she has become is “disappointing” to Terri.
Val Venis: “Fun…Smiles…laughter…a very smart Canadian.”
In this incredibly open shoot, Terri addresses plenty of additional topics in this near 60+minute interview, including her uncensored thoughts/takes on: why it is important to note & why does not see Vince McMahon as “wrestling’s babysitter” (as well as why those in the wrestling business need to be responsible), if she saw any of the WWE divas “stealing” the Alexandra York look, if she was seen by the rest of those in the locker room as being given “preferential treatment” by being married to another WWE superstar, how intimidating it was for her to give Vince a call to pitch the Marlena character, the comparisons & contrasts between Alexandra York & Marlena, seeing The Blue Meanie as “BlueDust” for the first time, if it was difficult for her to switch over to the Goldust/Marlena/Luna Vachon angle after Brian Pillman’s passing, the real reasons why she hated working wrestling matches with women (including Bikini Matches or “Paddle On A Pole” Matches), the media’s portrayal of the wrestling business during the Benoit family tragedy, why “she would defend Triple H in a heartbeat” (and whether she thinks he deserves his spot in the business), how proud she was of Dusty Rhodes going into the WWE Hall Of Fame last year, & what it is like for her to give back to her fans at this stage of her career. Plus, Terri lets The Mayhem listening audience in on one of the most special & heart-warming stories you will ever hear involving WWE’s charity work, and how her & many other WWE superstars (including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker, & others) were able to give back to a very sick fan prior to his passing.
After wishing The Mayhem’s Blade a happy & blessed Passover, in closing, Terri encourages all of her fans to check out her official website at www.TheRealTerriRunnels.com. Is there a return to World Wrestling Entertainment in her future? Listen to this Mayhem exclusive, check out her website, & who knows…you may find out!
And that’s not all from this past week’s edition of The Mayhem fans! Coming off the biggest contest of his career, The Big Mosh & Blade were joined by the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, “The Samoan Submission Machine,” Samoa Joe, less than 24 hours after his epic Lockdown Pay-Per-View TNA World Title Match against Kurt Angle, in his first interview since capturing the gold. What were his thoughts on Lockdown weekend, his comments on the bout itself, & what lies ahead for his future, as well as what he feels about the WWE telling their talent to stay away from TNA performers during WrestleMania XXIV weekend, the internet’s predictions of his next feuds before they even take place, & the soon-to-be-released Midway TNA iMPACT video game. With TNA President, Dixie Carter & ROH booker, Gabe Sapolsky, reportedly meeting at the Ring Of Honor event last weekend in Boston, what does Joe think is in store for the TNA/ROH future? All this & so much more, courtesy of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio.”
*The Mayhem Crew (The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL) reconvenes in full force this Monday night, April 21st, and we strongly encourage all fans around the world to join us LIVE (beginning at 8PM ET/7PM CT), as “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” will have all of the latest from the week that was in the world of professional wrestling & sports-entertainment — including all of the fallout from Joey Styles leaving the ECW announcer’s booth & Ring Of Honor’s Detroit/Chicago double-shot, the countdown until Samoa Joe/Kurt Angle: The re-match, plus live coverage of the returning King Of The Ring event & the highly-anticipated “wrestling exhibition” between Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barrack Obama. Can this be better than Donald Trump & Rosie O’ Donnell?
The most in-depth analysis & preview of next Sunday night’s World Wrestling Entertainment Backlash PPV can only be found on “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio,” as The Mayhem’s WWE Pay-Per-View preview tandom of Scott Hudson & Jim Molineaux, are joined by The Baltimore Sun’s Kevin Eck to set the table for the first post-WrestleMania PPV spectacular. E-mail your comments & takes on the upcoming tri-branded WWE Pay-Per-View to The Mayhem at MondayNightMayhem@hotmail.com, register for the MNM Message Board at www.MondayNightMayhem.com, or MySpace your takes to www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem. The Mayhem will be selecting two winners who accurately predict the night’s festivities to win a six-pack of Sweet Sunshine Sauces, as well as X-Box 360 copies of SmackDown Vs. RAW 2008.
Plus, “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” will proudly present a fitting tribute to one of the true pioneers in the history of this business, who truly revolutionized the word “extreme.” Monday Night Mayhem is proud to present: “Tod Gordon Appreciation Night: A Matter Of Respect.” The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL will be joined by former ECW World Television Champion/former ECW World Tag Team Champion, 2 Cold Scorpio & former ECW World Tag Team Champion, “The Pitbull” Gary Wolfe, as The Mayhem looks back at the astounding & immensely successful career of Monday Night Mayhem Hall Of Famer & the founder of ECW, Mr. Tod Gordon.
Dial up The Mayhem Line (presented by The Monster Factory) @ (716) 989-6630 with your questions/comments for Scorpio & Gary, as well as your favorite Tod Gordon memories. If you are unable to get through live, or listen to the live program, you can also e-mail the program @ MondayNightMayhem@hotmail.com with your favorite TG moments. Be sure to take part in the live, interactive Mayhem chat & Mayhem message board, found exclusively at www.MondayNightMayhem.com. And don’t forget to check out The Mayhem on MySpace, located at www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem. We want all fans around the world to let Tod know how much he will be missed & the impact he has left on the world of professional wrestling!
Fans around the world now have the first opportunity to interact with The Mayhem’s newest & hottest edition, “Miss Mayhem” herself, the beautiful & vivacious Helena. Check out our official website ( www.MondayNightMayhem.com), The Mayhem On MySpace (located at www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem), as well as her very own brand-new MNM MySpace page (located at www.MySpace.com/MissMNMayhem). Without a doubt, you will be seeing plenty more of this beauty as part of our new spring season & into the upcoming “Summer Of Mayhem 2008.”
*On that transitional note, as we continue the celebration of the new spring season of The Mayhem in the month of April, we strongly encourage all of our fans around the world to support all of our fine advertisers/sponsors that help make “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” possible:
Sweet Sunshine Hot Sauces (official website: www.SweetSunshine.com): “The official finishing sauce of The Mayhem.” Six tremendous flavors to choose from: Sweet, Warm, Jamaican Jerk, Roasted Shallot & Garlic, Hot, & Atomic! Sweet Sunshine Sauces are the proud winners of three Scovie Awards! Sweet Sunshine has made room for their newly-designed bottles (now available), along with their newly-designed & state-of-the-art website. The weather is getting hotter, and summertime is almost here. Now is the perfect time to purchase Sweet Sunshine…The Awesome, All-Natural Sauce — Order some today!
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Old Time Wrestling (official website: www.OldTimeWrestling.net) has hit the internet! Check out the latest innovation in professional wrestling on the world-wide-web! Old Time Wrestling is a throwback to “the days of old” in the world of wrestling. For only $9.99/month, you will receive over eight hours of matches to watch at your convenience. You also have the opportunity to witness The Mayhem’s return to OTW (featuring the world-wide debut of the new MNM Girl, Helena, as well seeing The Mayhem’s very own DFL in the OTW Arm Wrestling Challenge). The live broadcast begins every Saturday afternoon at 2PM ET. Head on over to www.OldTimeWrestling.net to connect to wrestling of yesterday with today’s technology. And are you looking for that perfect gift for the wrestling fan in your life? How about tickets to the weekly Old Time Wrestling shows, located at The Monster Factory. Affordable family fun for all ages & for a great price! Want even more information about OTW? Tune in to The Mayhem every other week along the MNM airwaves to hear the hard-hitting Ed Atlas, one of the head trainers, give his takes on the world of professional wrestling…the way it was meant to be!
All new & old Mayhem listeners can still check out the archived programs/shows of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” from our six+ years of audio excellence, featuring the official Monday Night Mayhem WrestleMania XXIV Countdown Special (w/J.J. Dillon, The Orlando Sentinel’s Andrea Adelson, SLAM Wrestling’s Bob Kapur, The Baltimore Sun’s Kevin Eck, Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Dan Murphy, & many more), The Mayhem’s WrestleMania 23 Countdown Special from Detroit’s Hilton Garden Inn, the official Monday Night Mayhem Dream Reunion II On-Location Special from Kokomo, IN — featuring: former WWE Diva search contestant Jessica Hatch, Al Snow, Marty Jannetty, Chavo “Classic” Guerrero Sr., “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Rosey, The Midnight Express (“Loverboy” Dennis Condrey & “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton), “The Genius” Lanny Poffo, & The Orient Express’ Pat Tanaka, & our “Best Of 2007” show (featuring the top three interviews of 2k7 heard on The Mayhem), plus current WWE superstars (Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Candice Michelle, & Charlie Haas), WWE Hall Of Famers (Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Jim Ross, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, “The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart, The Iron Sheik, Tito Santana, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Harley Race, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, & Don Muraco), the finest from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (Jeff Jarrett, Jim Cornette, Kevin Nash, “The Instant Classic” Christian Cage, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, The Dudley Boyz/Team 3-D, Scott Steiner, Kip/BG James, “The Notorious 187” Homicide, Eric Young, Kaz, & “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal — along with TNA knockouts Christy Hemme, Gail Kim, & Traci Brooks), Ring Of Honor’s warriors (ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness, “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, & ROH head booker Gabe Sapolsky), ECW originals (Rob Van Dam, “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, Raven, The Sandman, “The Pitbull” Gary Wolfe, Danny Doring, & ECW founder Tod Gordon), some of the greatest managers in the history of our business (Percy Pringle III/Paul Bearer, “The Doctor Of Style” Slick, JJ Dillon, & the late Gary Hart), the voices that have called the sport/sports-entertainment for years (World Class’ Bill Mercer, the Mid-Atlantic/NWA’s Bob Caudle, & WCW/AWA’s Lee Marshall), wrestling legends/personalities from over the years, past & present (Terry Funk, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, The Honky Tonk Man, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Vader, Konnan, Tully Blanchard, Diamond Dallas Page, “Bushwacker” Luke Williams, “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, Nick “U-Gene” Dinsmore, Low-Ki, “The Wildman” Marc Mero, David “Gangrel” Heath, & Chris Nowinski), & some of the funniest entertainers from around stage & screen (Dave Coulier of TV’s “Full House,” VH-1 “Best Week Ever’s” Greg Fitzsimmons of VH-1’s “Best Week Ever,” Dustin “Screech” Diamond of TV’s “Saved By The Bell,” Howard Stern’s Gary The Retard, “Mad TV’s” Aries Spears, & Comic Relief founder Bob Zmuda). All this & so much more…now available on www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com.
Monday Night Mayhem’s Crew of The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL wish to thank our loyal fans around the world who have helped us get to where we are at now and for your continued dedication, loyalty, & support.