May 16, 2001 5:18 pm

Radio Review: Tom Zenk
Show: The LAW
Station: Mojo radio 640 AM Toronto
Date: May 15, 2001
 

Jeff introduces "easily our most popular and requested guest ever in the four year history of the show -Tom Zenk, back to what Bob Marley would say 'Stir it up' Howya doing Tommy"

Tom: Hey I'm 10 percent better than perfect. Howya doing?

Jeff:  I'm doing great . To get right down to it the big news this week-  the XFL is over. First of all did you watch this thing?

Tom: Eh... Yes I watched the first show and I watched it when the ratings were down real bad. I had six TVs on in the house to help jack the ratings, so people couldn't say I was bitter. I was trying to help Vince get ratings - but I guess I didn't cut it, eh?

Jeff: In your opinion Tommy what went wrong with this thing or was it wrong from the get go?

Tom : They must have had the lights off when they drew up the battle plan. I hope they have the lights back on when they do it for WCW. I just don't think XFL was a very well thought out plan. From what I hear, Vince McMahon is an workaholic and I think he just spread himself too thin, right?

Jeff: And the WWF promotion suffered ....

Tom: Exactly and it was like - My God you killed your own child - and by that I mean the WWF. I mean you're killing what made you Vince! He had some novel ideas - the camera thing etc. And the guys I'm working with were waiting on the women. But it was all hype and no action. Show me the football Vince!! But my god I feel sorry for the wrestlers, because it was all built on their back. What a novel idea. "Let's build a semi professional football team on the back of professional wrestlers."

Jeff: Well that was one of the criticisms we heard from a lot of the guys in November when their paycheck from house shows and PPVs were getting a little smaller. And coincidentally that was the time they were beginning to promote the XFL.

Tom: Yes and oddly enough he's going to have to keep on paying for the XFL for the next three years. So the wrestlers should know that he's going to have to pay off XFL guaranteed contracts - I read in the SEC reports that he has 733 XFL staff feeding off the wrestlers - and some of these XFL guys are locked into two to three year contracts - with minimum XFL contract obligations around $50 million a year up to 2003

Jeff: Were you in the WWF when the WBF [World Bodybuilding Federation] was going on?

Tom: No 'd I quit but it was a similar thing. He's failed at that, like he's failed at everything he's ever set up ...

Jeff:.....outside of wrestling

Tom: Outside of wrestling. But that's the business his daddy gave him. And what did he do -all he did was drop a letter off it, so its the WWF. You see the whole thing about Vince McMahon is that he didn't create the WWF. He didn't build it - he didn't grow it - he filled a vacuum created by the collapse of every other territory in the wrestling industry. Look at Verne Gagne. Look at Bischoff and the WCW. Look at the von Erichs - the territories just died. His quote/unquote "success" in wrestling can only be attributed to the fact that his competitors were greater failures.

Jeff: At the same time he was hungrier than any of those guys. When Vince went national in '84 I mean, everyone wanted to do it - Ole Anderson, Verne Gagne, everyone wanted to do it

Tom: Mental midgets. They were old and tired.

Jeff: At the same time, it was a ballsy move by Vince -

Tom: Of course, it was a very ballsy move. But look at the facts - he failed on WBF, he failed on IcoPro - he failed on XFL - his self esteem is suffering now - He says he only drinks protein shakes - maybe he should get into his wife's pill bottles, medicate himself, and take a few weeks off. But Vince will be back because that's the sort of cloth he's cut from. He's failed before and he knows he can come back. But I'd suggest that he take it easy. It's a soft economy. So sit back Vince, and take a good look at things first. Before he launches WCW - and I sure hope he does - I hope he comes up with a better plan than the XFL. WCW is southern culture and he's got to come up with a show that's totally different to the WWF. I would starve out those WCW guys with the big money contracts.

Let them get hungry and in the meantime build up all the young guys through the feeder territories and enhance everything. Draw up a 3 - 5 year plan that lets him ride out the bad weather. Batten down the hatches Vince and don't take another battering. Meanwhile with all the WCW wrestlers, their cycles will be down - they'll be hungry - and all the young guys will be trained and ready. I know Vince can make a comeback- but maybe he doesn't know it. It's easy to kick a guy when he's down but Vince will be back.

Jeff: What has Jessie's involvement with the XFL done for his credibility and credentials in your state?

Tom: Well, he's really got a good supporting cast here - I think he took a leaf from Vince who surrounded himself with Pat Patterson, Terry Garvin and Jim Barnett who were all very loyal and ran things behind the scenes. Jessie is a figure head with strong people in place around him. The media railed on him a bit but then it cooled off. You know "If you can't be good, be controversial" right? I'm just happy he took the money from Vince. The rest is just talk. It sells newspapers.

Jeff: Over to the WCW. If Jim Ross and Vince McMahon came to you and said "Tommy, go ahead - it's yours to book" How would you establish this thing?

Tom: Well first I'd tease it. I hear he's handing it over to his son and I hope he's not handing it over to his son just to teach him a lesson, just to set him up to fail, like a lot of wrestlers have done with their sons, right. Dusty with his son - Flair with his son - I mean it wasn't like the 'second coming' with David was it?

Jeff: Verne did it.....

Tom: Yes Verne did it - Bill Watts - they all did it. People say that's just the way wrestling is Tom - get over it. No no!! It doesn't have to be that way. I've always believed in a better way. Anyway Vince needs Goldberg - he needs Scotty Steiner and Rick Flair's legacy. But he needs Goldberg first. Sting - forget about Sting. So, Goldberg and Scotty Steiner pop the audience with Shane. Tease it now - that'll keep the fire alive for those people who are hungry for PRODUCT DIFFERENCE.

Jeff : But you 'd have to sign Goldberg to a contract in the vicinity of $2 million. You've been in the WWF locker room and the WCW locker room - you know what happens to guys mentalities when someone is brought in to a big huge money contract. If you're a high to middle of the pack guy in the WCW and you're bumping every night, and you're making all your house shows, and making all your TVs and PPVs and speaking engagements, the whole deal - and in comes Goldberg to $2 million who hasn't bumped in 2 years - what does that do to the morale in your locker room?

Tom: That's where WCW made a fatal flaw. There was a study done by someone at, I think, Notre Dame - he did a study of salary differentials in baseball and how it created a wedge. Vince knows about that. But Vince is the guy who was braggadocios on TV about running over people who got in his way. So why can't he run a locker room. He can make Goldberg sign a secrecy clause. And any guy in the locker room who gets in his way - he runs them over, right! Listen. Vince has always had a problem in the locker room. He's always had a problem controlling it. You know I read about his "Think Again" campaign and it got me 'thinking again' - back to when I was in the WWF and Vince couldn't keep Pat Patterson and Terry Garvin under control. I guess they had a different style of management - "hands on management" ...

Jeff: Oh jeeze

Tom: So I mean he's always had trouble in his lockerroom and Vince never
could control it. Com'on. He says he runs people over who get in his way. Put your money where your mouth is Vince. If anyone has a problem with Goldberg - sit them down and tell them - we need this guy. Who's going to do it for us but Goldberg. That's who the people want. They don't yell "Sting" or "DDP" or "Bagwell" or "Lex Luger" - No. It's Goldberg. And every day that they wait - they're just killing themselves.

Jeff: You talked about the WCW fans and how you're convinced that it's that southern culture that they need to appeal to. IF I'm an old school WCW fan and looking at the prospect of Vince McMahon buying the promotion- no matter if it's still called WCW or not, its still going to have the WWF feel to it - I'd bail. I say, you know what - "Thanks but no thanks". Its a Coke or Pepsi thing. You drink Coke or you drink Pepsi. You watch WWF or you watch WCW. I think those fans are gone.

Tom: I don't think so. For as many of the people that like Coke, there are another lot who like Pepsi. And don't change the formula!! WCW is a southern regional promotion and you could run it differently. You need to get rid of certain guys - but you need someone who can go in there and take names, who knows the con, and who says "This is the way it's going to be run. You're going to do jobs". It wasn't the product - it was the guys who got out of control. These guys who say they love the business- well they should sign up with McMahon and offer to help out, because wrestling is in the worst shape it's been in for a long while. And its time to give back!! Otherwise Vince might just snuff them out. The wrestlers are flooding the market. And WCW is another place to go. What else are they going to do? And, you think you saw backstabbing before .....

Jeff: Oh god, it's worse now...

Tom: Its worse now because everyone has their daggers out. It's going to teach them a valuable lesson. They're going to know all about pain and loss right now.

Jeff: Well, all those guys in the top spots (in WWF)- those are the only top spots in wrestling now! So those guys are going to hang onto those for dear life.

Tom: Of course they are, of course they are, because that's all they've got. With WCW - I think it was Vince's ego that bought WCW. And he got carried away on TV, drunk with power (thumbs up, thumbs down). But bottom line is, now he needs Goldberg. I mean Nash? Hogan? what did they do?

Jeff: They booked it into the ground.

Tom: They drove WCW down. They didn't draw so I wouldn't use them. I'd use a certain crew of guys and we're going to do business - you know, guys that love the business. And no more of that backstabbing behind your back - you know (Dusty voice) 'That's OK baby - Z-Man - that was a good match baby that's OK" And in the final analysis, Dusty was pushing P.N. News, Erik Watts and all these guys that never made it, but he was silently building up Dustin - and the Turner people didn't see it. And now everyone blames the Turner people for WCW's failure. And Dusty is out there rewriting history and blaming "management". And, you know as well as I do, that THE BOOKERS ARE MANAGEMENT.

Jeff: You know the weird thing right now is that behind the scenes people at WWF, office staff who have been laughing at WCW since the downfall, and saying "We'll never be like that". Well right now, if you watch TV and know what's going on behind the scenes, IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME

Tom: Exactly And you know why? there are certain guys there who have been playing the same game. Jim Ross was down there (Atlanta). He knows knows that con - the same manipulative behavior - and certain other guys in the office. What's that guy - the one that's dates McMahon's daughter - Brother Love ...is that true by the way?

Jeff: No no that's not true...

Tom: You mean that was just that was just a nasty rumor put around because Lawler was bitter ? Boy did he cry in that letter to Vince McMahon. You know, you don't get to Vince that way. They've gotta be howling and belly laughing about that.

Jeff: What did you think about Lawler walking out like that. Now it's anything he can do to get back in the WWF.

Tom: Oh he really showed Vince!!

Jeff: He thought he was going to get a job in WCW!!

Tom: Yeah and it didn't work out- the perfect deal. And then he begs to get back. And they'll forget about him fast. He's been replaced already . He shot himself in the foot. And a lot of guys did too. Carney people. Cons. And then they blame it on the suits. I'd like to tell them all - "So you think you're so clever?"  Training DDP - was that clever? He's the classic case of what NOT to do with Ted Turner's money. Do you think that was a good investment instead of investing in a YOUNG talent??  No. Name all the WCW bookers - Ole, Dusty, Kevin Nash - Nash who booked himself to beat Goldberg. They should bring Nash back and beat him up, so we can have closure on that. And you mean to tell me that all the guys on the WCW payroll watched Nash beat Goldberg and NO-ONE stood up and said THAT'S WRONG!!! No-one cared about the damage that did to the company? That's where Vince wins. It's his money and HE CARES and they think it though and he has his kids there . No one cared in WCW. They thought they had the goose that laid the golden egg and they all blew it. The worst is still to come. I sure hope Vince has a battle plan but I can't see anyone in his organization that can run it right now.

***

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