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TOM ZENK
May 6, 2000 |
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Transcript of interview
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TOM ZENK
May 6, 2000 |
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Dl - I just wanted to talk with you about your time in the WWF in 1986 - as part of the Can-Am Connection . What are some of your memories of working with Vince McMahon in the WWF?TZ - The WWF was the highlight really of my career. How do you follow Wrestlemania III - I was there. Rick Martel was the captain of the team so I let him handle the business negotiations and unfortunately, he was less than honest with me. We were on the road. He said after 6 months, if we aren't making five grand a week each, we'll tell them we have places to go. And when we went over to the World Tag Team Tournament for Baba - All Japan Pro Wrestling in December of '86 - they offered us to come back, after the first night against the Funks, and we'd have been good for 5 years there. But it [WWF] was fantastic. They have a big machine there. There's no way WCW, with the people they have in position now, are ever going to catch McMahon. You know why. Because it's Vince's money and no-one cares like Vince. But with Turner's money - they have guys just throwing it away. They have no clue. They don't have the right formula.
JM - Let's start to get into a little WCW talk. I know that a lot of guys, and I'm guessing you were in a similar position, must have had your back up when guys like Watts and Rhodes who were running the company, began pushing their sons.
TZ - Ha Ha! You know what that does in the locker room to the other guys. Everyone that's worked hard, that's gone to the gym, built a physique, paid their dues, traveled on the Japan bus, traveled all over the country and then see the booker's son come in and get pushed above you. I mean, that kills morale. It certainly didn't do me any good. And Pillman, all of a sudden, had to switch. He turned heel just out of the blue [when he realized top babyface was reserved for Dustin and Erik]. You can't swim against the stream. In a sense they wanted me to quit anyway. They thought "We'll beat him, he's a quitter anyway. Y'know Dusty wasn't smart enough to beat me, neither was Ole. I'm not a quitter and I made that blatantly obvious. At three grand a week I'd have ran a floor scrubber down at CNN Center. Right?
[laughter]
"That's okay Dweam baby. You pushed your 'thon, The Natural Dustin Rhodes, from your loins. You pushed him. But they put you in polkey-dots ...and they gave your 'thon The Natural, a wig, a fat man suit, and they gave him mathcara. You unner'stan Dusty ... They've got nuthin' for the Rhodes family."[laughter].
JM - That's good!! I knew you did impressions but I didn't know one would come out so early.
DL - That's good!! - that's a good Dusty!! ....
JM - It's 12.49. back with more of the master impressionist Tom Zenk after this!!Welcome back to the program. Our special guest for one more segment is The Z-Man, Tom Zenk. Hey Tom, we've talked a lot about AWA and WWF and WCW - let's talk about 2 personalities, 2 guys I know you hold in very high esteem - Harley Race and the Dynamite Kid.
TZ - Yes. I listened to Dynamite's audio on your show - and Harley's. Those guys are what wrestling is all about. I mean they were fun to be around - Harley was a heck of a gentleman - and they were legitimate tough guys, inside the ring and outside .... I wrestled Harley in the WWF when he was The King - "Tommy, move on the knee kid" (impersonating Harley Race). He was constant motion. I mean it didn't matter about his age. He'd go back into the turnbuckle, come out - it was exaggerated, but there was a flow to it. Do you know what I'm saying. I mean, it's a lost art. Dynamite Kid - of my favorite guys in the WWF. I worked in '86 for the Montreal territory. It was before we went to Japan. Rick and I were over that summer and we had our first shot at the Montreal Forum. It was sold out - just packed to the rafters. We (Rick and I and Dynamite and Davey Boy) were the main event. They (the Bulldogs) were babyfaces from their TV and Rick and I had no WWF TV. But they sent them out to play heels that night. Martel got in the ring. I remember I was 'holding the ropes'. And Dynamite picked him up and threw him out of the ring. And he turned the crowd instantly with that. Within minutes the crowd was going nuts. They were booing the Bulldogs and throwing cups of beer and stuff at them. And I was looking forward to working a program with Dynamite and from what he said on your show, he was really concerned about his size - but he was huge, powerful and they were a great tag team.
JM - He was always weird about his height ...
TZ - It didn't matter. If you sell for someone who is small, people have no choice but to believe. And he was muscular. He was a dynamo.....
JM - I know. It's true .....
TZ - He was one of the guys who, when I was out at Portland, I'd run home or have my girlfriend tape his matches for the WWF, hoping I would be there some day. That was out plan, Martel and mine, to be there some day. But I was getting experience. And I didn't think I'd get there that fast.
JM - Tom, we've got to get to some phone calls. John is in North New York. John, say hello to Tom Zenk.
John - Hey Tom, I just wanted to know, with the latest bill from the State of New York about drugs, were there a lot of drugs going around the locker room when you were in the WWF and were they ever offered to you?
TZ - Well you all know about Dr Zahorian, right?
JM, DL - Yeah, we all know about Dr Zahorian...
TZ - OK. So that's what they had. And he was generally in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Drugs are part of our society and wrestling. I'm not going to fool you. Steroids, marijuana, speed, downers - that was the thing back then. Everyone kinda had their own supply or own stash. They weren't passed around. I mean, let's say, for instance, if I was in pain, I had a doctor that would take care of my needs back in Minneapolis. So I didn't need to go that route per se. But yeah, it's part of it. You get slammed around. When I was back there, you'd get up at 6 a.m. in the morning, return the rental car keys, then take these cheap business class fares. Let's say you fly cross country to Sacramento. You get out there at 10 in the morning. But you can't check into the hotel and get some sleep because they haven't cleaned the rooms. There's no other way to manage this travel schedule and I think they were running 3 towns a night back then. It's just part of it. People need it. Pharmaceutical drugs. I'm not saying it's good or bad. But that's the way it is. That's as honest as I can be.
DL - Going back to the WWF. You weren't there for a really long time. You came in in '86 and then you were gone by '87. What was the actual reason? Why did you leave the WWF?
TZ - Well, Rick was the intermediary. I've only met Vince McMahon twice and both times I shook his hand and told him "thanks for the opportunity." Well Rick and I had a deal worked out. I had to sign a contract with no money [stipulated] on it. The only thing it said was you get paid $50 for a TV taping - no consideration, nothing. Rick cut his own deal. He took care of himself. I guess he figured he was worth more. So the reason I left was the money. I thought the money was terrible. Worse than any promoter. I mean Don Owen [Portland] paid what he could - we didn't draw that much. Verne [Gagne, AWA] was a good pay-off guy. But Vince, well he didn't take his company on the stock market and make $56 million net from being a generous guy. So it was all about money. And with Martel, it was also a personal thing. You know there's a lot more to it but it was also personal. Rick took care of Rick and that's it. Y'know you don't break trust with a guy. It's a very personal business, in the ring and out of the ring. You take care of each others bodies in the ring. And he betrayed me - that's the way I felt. But that's the past. I'm not mad at Rick. He did what he had to do. But LIVE with it, y'know. Personally, I'm satisfied with what I did.
JM - Tom, I know we've only scratched the surface with you. We've got to take off. Will you come back and do it again really soon. We have TONS more we want to talk with you about.
TZ - I'd love to. But if you want to learn more, its www.tomzenk.com
JM - Tom, come back and join us again soon, will you.
TZ - Thanks very much Dan and Jeff.
Thanks to Jeff Marek and Dan Lovranski of
www.liveaudiowrestling.com