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May 6, 2000 |
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Transcript of interview
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May 6, 2000 |
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The interviewers are Jeff Marek and Dan Lovranski of www.liveaudiowrestling.comJM - I've been wanting to have this guy on the show for a long time. Someone known to wrestling fans around the world. He was one-half of the Can-Am Connection with Rick Martel. He worked with Brian Pillman among others in WCW. He was in Japan for a long time ...
DL - I think the more appropriate question is "who hasn't he worked with?"
JM - Well let's ask him. He's been around the block. It's a pleasure to welcome to the program for the first time, the Z-Man, Tom Zenk.....
DL - Tom, let's go back to the early days and how it all got started. You started out as a bodybuilder, right?
TZ - Yes I did. I was Mr. Twin Cities, Mr. Minnesota and Mr. North County and I segued from bodybuilding into wrestling. That's kinda how I got started.
JM - I understand it was Road Warrior Animal that originally said "Hey Tom, maybe you should look into pro-wrestling." Is that true?
TZ - Yes he did. He said "We could use a guy like you - a babyface. You're a good athlete." He knew me from the gym that the Road Warriors used to have money in - maybe they still do. And that's really how I got into it. I saw Rude and he was doing pretty good and the Road Warriors and, I believe it was Barry Darsow and Nikita Koloff, they started doing good. They were making money and they seemed to be making a good living. So I thought - "why not give it a try?" I did - and the rest is history.
DL - There seem to be a lot of great pro-wrestlers who came out of the Minnesota area. Who trained all you guys?
TZ - I was originally trained by Eddy Sharkey. He's the one that trained the Road Warriors, Rick Rude, Barry Darsow. I've known Eddy since I was 18, training at the St. Louis Park Sports and Health Club. So I'd known him before I even considered going into wrestling.... I decided to go to Eddy's camp and went through [his training program].
DL - How did you feel when it was first suggested you should go into professional wrestling? Did you blow it off? Did you think "Oh! that's crazy. I'd never fit in." How did you take it?
TZ - I thought "Wow - that's interesting! That would be a good way to make money off my physique and my looks." It sounded good and the guys seemed to be having a good time. I talked to Eddy Sharkey and he told me more about the business. One thing I do remember Eddy telling me - "It's not much of a living, Tom, but it's a HELL of a hobby."
JM - And it's an expensive hobby!
TZ - Yes, it really is. It's expensive traveling on the road, the injuries, and if you can't work - "sorry
[ no money]."JM - That's right - no union ....
TZ - No anything.... until WCW came along. Turner's the goose that laid the golden egg....!!!
JM - And people are STILL living off it!
TZ - Oh they sure are!! And they don't even have to draw money. And they don't draw any people. How is that? And the same guys are on top. Explain that to me Jeff!
JM - I can't explain it....
DL - Hey some of them get to sit at home and still collect pay checks. They don't have to be on TV...
TZ - We used to call that mail box money
[laughter...]
JM - It's 12.44 and our special guest is Tom Zenk, the Z-Man. Tom, the first time I saw Tom Zenk was in the AWA. And I want to talk a little bit about Verne Gagne. We know that Verne is, well, 'old school.' I think he's actually from the school that burned down. He BUILT the old school! Was there ever a situation where Verne put your face in the mat and said "You know what, kid... wrestling's not all it's cracked out to be and you'd better stay in line.."
TZ - Well, I remember, at that time Brad Rheingans was the policeman or shooter for the territory. Y'know, if they had any trouble, [it was always] 'talk to Brad Rheingans'. Brad was the shooter or guy who stretched 'marks'. So when I was training, they had Brad Rheingans toughen me up, put me through the workouts, beatings, guts-check - whatever you want to call it. That's the way they weeded people out. They always had a shooter around, whether it was Billy Robinson, The Iron Sheik or Brad Rheingans. When I finally got the okay to get through camp, Verne told me, "You ought to get down on your knees and thank God there is something such as wrestling. You don't tell your folks about it, you don't tell anyone!! You take this [wrestling's secrets] to the grave. You've got a great deal. I've had fun for 30 years." Respect was a big part of it. And I think a lot of guys today never had their face rubbed in the mat - or they don't know respect - because they've got David Arquette as world champion... Hullo?? There's nothing I could say on the radio show tonight that could expose anything that hasn't been GIVEN away. And the promoters have done more dirt - and the second generation sons have done more dirt on the business - and exposed it more than anything else I've ever seen.
JM - We're going to talk about the second generation sons in a second. But I want to get back to protecting the business. The mask has sort of come off wrestling in the last few years. It's a work now and we've all admitted it.
DL - it's part of the angles now!!
JM - Do you think it was better when there was that cloud of mystery and the old school cartels tried to maintain it was a shoot.
TZ - Oh sure it was. I bounced in a bar and Wally Karbo told me "If you get beat up, don't come back to this office. You won't have a job." We were out bouncing and trying to make a living. They couldn't provide you with a living - this was when I was doing jobs and just getting my feet wet in the business. Karbo said - "You ever get beat up, don't come back here!" That's how seriously they protected the business. It's a lost art, the 'working' part of it. And the kayfabe. It was very strict. But you've got to have parameters about wrestling and have respect for it. I think it was much better then. People kinda knew deep down ... but, at the same time they didn't REALLY know. But now, they've given them the whole kit and caboodle.
Part 2 - Martel, McMahon, drugs in wrestling, Dynamite Kid,
Harley Race and Dusty Rhodes.
