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Road Trip After Hours w/ WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long and Host Mac Davis
The Fastest 30 Minute Wrestling Show with WWE Hall of Famer TEDDY LONG and MAC DAVIS! It's FAST, It's FUN and it's FREE!
Road Trip After Hours w/ WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long and Host Mac Davis
Teddy Long Talks WWE & TNA Partnership, Jeff Hardy's Triumph, and Vince McMahon's Mentorship!
WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long joins us for a candid and insightful episode of Road Trip After Hours, where wrestling's past, present, and future collide. We kick off with an exciting discussion about the groundbreaking WWE and TNA Wrestling partnership, which opens doors for thrilling talent exchanges and fresh opportunities. Teddy shares his hopes for TNA's growth and reflects on Jeff Hardy's triumphant journey from personal struggles to becoming the TNA Tag Champion. Drawing from his own battles with addiction, Teddy offers heartfelt advice and encouragement to listeners facing similar challenges, emphasizing the power of personal responsibility in creating meaningful change.
As we journey through Teddy's storied career, we uncover tales from his time in ECW and WWE, shining a light on his adaptability and professionalism. With a captivating anecdote about Tiffany and his dynamic with Vickie Guerrero, Teddy provides a behind-the-scenes look at the contrasts between on-screen personas and real-life personalities.
Hello again, everybody, and welcome to an all-new episode of Road Trip After Hours. I'm your host, mac Davis, and of course, with me is my WWE Hall of Famer, good buddy, mr Teddy Long. Hey, teddy, what's?
Speaker 2:going on there, Mr Mac Davis.
Speaker 1:Man, it's been crazy busy and now I'm hearing that we might get snow again next week. Are you hearing this Bring?
Speaker 2:it on, I love it.
Speaker 1:It's pretty stuff. We didn't get any last time the snow came around, but this time it sounds like maybe we got a good shot for it.
Speaker 2:We're good, I ain't got nowhere to go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my grandbabies would love it, because most of my grandkids have never seen snow, never seen snow, so it'd be something big for them to see. Hey, look, I saw something big come across. We were a little bit later than normal coming in here and I read something that Bill Apter sent over to us and it was a press release from WWE and it says WWE and TNA Wrestling announce multi-year partnership. Nxt superstars and TNA Wrestling stars are to appear across weekly WWE and TNA programming, wwe premium live events and TNA pay-per-views. That's big news when it comes for TNA, don't you think, teddy?
Speaker 2:Well, I would think so. I just hope they do the right thing and don't mess things up, because opportunity don't knock but once, and this is a big opportunity here, and so if they're ever going to be big, then this is the time for it. So I hope those guys just keep their head on right and do the right thing.
Speaker 1:I do too. You know, you kind of were sniffing maybe some kind of a partnership there already, because we've seen some of the stars from TNA come over to WWE, jordan Grace being one of those that's crossed over, and I'm trying to wait the Joe Henry or Joe Hendry, something like that. He's gotten kind of big. I don't keep up with TNA, so I'm sorry, but it's something that uh, it sounds like we might have to start watching uh from here on out. Let me bring something else up.
Speaker 1:Jeff hardy has said that his current uh run as tna tag champion means everything in the world to him, given all of his failures with drugs over the years. He says, quote this world title run means everything to me because I came close to ending it all in the summer of 2022, which is all public. People are aware of my issues throughout the years with drugs and alcohol. But, coming out the other side of that, I've been saying a lot lately that all these failures have led me to salvation. Just to be on the other side of that. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Great things to hear about Jeff Hardy, because he's had his time and troubles and he's battled them, but it sounds like maybe he's finally got control.
Speaker 2:Well, I certainly hope so. Jeff and I and Matt, we're real good friends, man. I love both of them and they love me. And Jeff and I I think we were together last year at a comic con there and he looks great, fantastic man. He's got his head on right. His attitude is absolutely great. So I hope he has, you know, got it together and, you know, got his life together, because I mean, he has a big future. You know, I think there's a lot left in Jeff Hardy. I can tell you that right now. So, jeff, congratulations to your player, and if you need any advice on trying to help you stay clean, you can talk to me, because I was there, I've been there and done that. I was a heron at it. So if I was able to overcome that then, brother, I can tell you I'd overcome anything you put in your body.
Speaker 1:Teddy, you were. Were you in JV and then into an actual jail cell before you from the drugs, or what happened when it came to drugs? Yeah, I went to jail.
Speaker 2:Well, I was on heroin and then I went to jail. Then I got in jail. So you know, every time you go to jail you start praying God. If you just let me out, I won't do it no more. Well, god did let me out, okay, but I didn't keep my promise to God. I did it again just as soon as I got out. So God told me OK, so that's the game you want to play. So he put me right back in jail.
Speaker 2:So when I went right back to jail, then that's when it hit me. Ok, I was tired of being tired and I said to myself I lied to God and so whatever you want to do to me, lord, just go ahead and do it, because it's my fault. Whatever you want to do to me, lord, just go ahead and do it because it's my fault. But he knew I was ready to stop. So I ended up getting right out of jail and, like the next couple of weeks, he blessed me to get out, but I never turned back. I never went back to heroin again. So that was it for me.
Speaker 1:And hopefully that inspires anybody If you're having an issue when it comes to drugs or anything else, to know that it can change in a moment just from something that happens that makes you say I'm done, that's it.
Speaker 2:Well, you got to be tired of being tired. Yes, okay, and that's what it was. And then let me say this too, because there's so many people out there that always talk about well, I wouldn't have did it, but they gave it to me. Well, let me explain something to you. If they gave it to you and if they gave you a gun and told you to blow your head off, would you do that? It's real simple. This little thing here I got in my hand is a remote. It was a control, but it could be a rock of cocaine.
Speaker 2:Well, if this was a rock of cocaine, that's in my hand. If I don't put it in my nose, it don't get there. So it's nobody but me. So stop blaming people about your habits and realize that it's you you putting that in your body. Nobody else, nobody's got a gun drawn on you, telling you they don't kill you if you don't. So you can stop. All you got to do is be is become your own self. You know, get, get in touch with yourself and just say I'm done. And if you don't put it up there, it don't get there. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I have always said and you know, drug issues, I think, affect every family. I don't care what family you have. There's somebody you know in your family that's had an issue with that problem and I've seen that so many times. You know, in my family I've seen issues with it and it's always the same. Reaction for me is I hope they get better. But it's going to be up to them to get better. They've got to decide they're ready to make that change. When they do, everything goes for the best. It's just you've got to make that change, you've got to want that change. It's real simple, teddy, let me tell you about something. I came across an article in Sportster. Uh, the sportster, which is online and, uh, they have every version of teddy long ranked worst to best. So I'm gonna go down this list. I'm getting your reactions from you. Uh, we'll start with the worst and end up with the best, uh, but if you have any stories or any memories from these times, just let me know. There's only. Let's see, we have a total of nine different versions of Teddy, from worst to best. So the worst on the Sportsters list is Teddy Long and the groom-to-be let's see. It says in 2007,.
Speaker 1:After a few years of being an authority figure on SmackDown, teddy Long was booked in the first romantic angle of his career. In 2007,. After a few years of being an authority figure on SmackDown, teddy Long was booked in the first romantic angle of his career. After a brief courtship, long asked Crystal to be his girlfriend and later asked her to marry him. The romantic angle was a bit of a departure for how Long had previously been booked and some fans weren't very receptive of it. Ultimately, though, the angle was successful and getting Long weren't very receptive of it. Ultimately, though, the angle was successful in getting Long out of his position of power. As a result of his relationship, Long hired Vickie Guerrero as his assistant, and at their wedding, long and Crystal would be on the verge of tying the knot before Long suffered a heart attack and slipped into a coma. There's no telling how far WWE would have pushed that storyline had Crystal not abruptly left the company. So that's the worst on the list, your thoughts and anything memories from that time.
Speaker 2:No, not really. I thought it was a great thing we did. That was all Vince's idea to do that and well, it was really hilarious, really funny, you know. I mean I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1:I thought it was so entertaining yeah, that's how I found it.
Speaker 1:I thought it was very entertaining. It was a lot of character in that and a wrestling show I there are many times and I said this from the very first day that I started into wrestling there are wrestlers, there's entertainers and there's a combination of both in some people, but you've got to have it all as a part of your program to make it work, and that was character work. You were working right then and it was hilarious. Where else are you going to see Vince McMahon just doing his head bob by the side of the ring? Yeah, he was part of the wedding. Yeah, man, how many times are you going to see that? Let's see Up. Next on there is from worst to best.
Speaker 1:At number eight is your ECW general manager days by the summer of 2008,. I'm sorry. It was abundantly clear that WWE's ECW reboot was a flop. Instead of pulling the plug on the dying brand, though, wwe tried to flood it with recognizable talents in hopes of riding the ship. Unfortunately for Teddy Long, he was one of the talents asked to move over to ECW In June of 2008,. After a few months serving as assistant general manager on SmackDown, long was announced as the new GM of ECW. Any memories of your time at ECW and did you think that was bad? Now I will say, of all the things that you've done in your career, teddy, that is one that's kind of a. It's just. I don't even remember it much because it happened kind of quick. If it lasted long, I don't recall it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, the memories I had of it was okay. I mean, the man wanted me everywhere, so anywhere that he wanted me. Then I knew that I had to go and I had to perform, so it didn't bother me about ECW. The only real good part about it the girl that Tiffany, I think that was her name. I think they put her in as the be my assistant. You know, that's what it was, but I soon found out later, and then this came from her that she was brought in to take my job.
Speaker 1:That must make you feel really good to go in the office and that's what she told me.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:Wow, all right Up. Next number seven, let me say this too.
Speaker 2:Let me say this while we're doing it you know you can bring anybody, this has been proven. You can bring them far near to take my job, but they'll never be. You can't bring another Teddy Long, because yeah, you're one of a kind.
Speaker 1:And that's something that you know. I've said that to. Who were we talking to recently? I think it was Trish Stratus. She was one of a kind Of all the women inside WCW. Trish Stratus is unique and different, just like you are unique and different in the role that you played, not only because you had multitudes of different positions you've worked in wrestling but you also were a fantastic character for television, and that is a big difference. Some people make it, some people don't, some people have it, some people don't, and Teddy Long has it. It's just that simple.
Speaker 2:I didn't even know I had it until Vince McMahon showed me I had it. I had no idea what I could do, but he showed me and he made me understand exactly what my position was and what my role was. And when he put me in the light I'm like oh, oh, so this is what you want. I got you, man.
Speaker 1:You know, and it's all it really takes a lot of times is for somebody to notice something that you don't notice yourself, that they can just push a button and go. You need to try this. And then you hit that button. You're like, oh shit, yeah, I get it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but now you see why there are a lot of people that tried to stop me.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, yeah. Well, let's talk about some of these people, because you did bounce around a little bit. Number seven, from Teddy Long's Worst to Best they have you as the assistant SmackDown general manager. After you suffered a heart attack at your wedding and fell into a coma, you returned to SmackDown on November of 2007. But your old job wasn't waiting for you. Instead, the position of GM had been filled by your former assistant, vickie Guerrero. You would have to settle for a role as assistant general manager on SmackDown and you would feud with Vickie Guerrero until you were appointed the general manager of ECW.
Speaker 2:That didn't happen like that. I don't know what you're reading. Yeah, this is just straight from the website I came back. When they brought me back, it was God, I'm trying to figure out what Anaheim no, not Anaheim, I'm trying to figure out. It was in California. I just can't remember what it was. But they didn't bring me back as an assistant. They brought me back to take my job. You can remember Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler. She had made it possible for him to be the world champion. So him and her out there in the ring, you know having a great time. They done screwed everything up. I've been gone for maybe about a month. I think it was okay and, if you can remember, they hid me that night. They didn't even bring me the TV. They kept me in the hotel until time for me to walk out to the ring, and that's when they came and got me, and when I walked out to the ring I took the job back.
Speaker 1:I didn't walk out to the ring to become the assistant general manager. When it came to working with different general managers their powers to be in the company. On screen, was there somebody you really just enjoyed working with? It was just like it was so simple. I mean, was Vicki really easy to work with better than yeah, I love Vicki Guerrero.
Speaker 2:I enjoy working with Vicki Guerrero and basically some of the stuff that Vicki did to me. I told her to do those things to me, so that's how good you know that Vicki was. And Vicki she's just a sweetheart of a person you would not believe. When you watch her on TV and then you meet her in real life you would not believe that was the same person.
Speaker 1:You know I was watching something the other day, Teddy. It was an old show where John Cena and Jerry Lawler were dressing her down in the ring making, calling her fat and laying fat jokes one after the other at her. Can you imagine that taking place today?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it'll happen right now. They don't care.
Speaker 1:I kept feeling for her the whole time. I'm thinking I know she's a heel, I get it. But man, they're just piling on the jokes about her weight. After a while you would think that would just become a little bit too much.
Speaker 2:Well, maybe sometime, when they're getting on you like that, you need to check your weight.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, that's true. Maybe that's the reason why that promo happened too, You've got to understand this business.
Speaker 2:here, everything is done for a reason.
Speaker 1:Hey, look here In 2014, they do have you at number six on the worst to best, teddy Long. After nearly 30 years in the wrestling business, you were released from WWE to mark the end of your full-time wrestling career. However, in June of 2016, you would come back into the fold and appear on an episode of Monday Night Raw and playing your case for another run as SmackDown general manager. Your request will be denied by Stephanie McMahon. Any memories of that night? I remember that being a pretty funny promo. Actually, weren't the guys out in the ring like on ladders, and I think Chris Jericho asked you what called you a bag of bones and wanted to know what the hell you were talking about, or something like that. So do you remember anything from that night?
Speaker 2:Well, at least I didn't have to worry about my weight. Yeah, do you remember that night? Yeah, man, that was great. Chris, him and I always got along pretty well too, so I always enjoy working with Chris.
Speaker 2:And so that was just really funny, I didn't see. What they don't understand is you know they have a lot of people sometime when they get released or go, you know they start calling them and worrying them. You know about hey, you guys got anything, anything you know for me and all that I ain't doing that bless me to survive without the WWE. Okay, this thing, my life is going to go on when WWE is going to go on, you know. So, like I said, that was good stuff. I remember that. Not bad at all.
Speaker 1:How was it working with Stephanie? She came out and she kind of said oh, you haven't been here in a while, but she looks like you probably got along with her pretty well.
Speaker 2:Oh, I did get along with Stephanie, she's a sweetheart with me. We well oh, I did get along with Stephanie, she's a sweetheart with me. We always had a special handshake that we did Every time we'd meet. We had the handshake where we'd snap the finger and stuff, but didn't nobody do that with her but me. But she was always a sweetheart with me. Stephanie, I got along with her. I loved working with her.
Speaker 1:All right, let's talk about the number five Again. This list is the worst to best positions for Teddy Long over the years, and they have you at number five as the WWE referee, it says. After a surprisingly successful run in WCW, teddy Long arrived in WWE in late 1998. He was immediately thrust into the role of WWE referee. As a referee, long became a staple of weekly WWE programming and pay-per-views. Long had the unfortunate duty of working as a referee. Long became a staple of weekly WWE programming and pay-per-views. Long had the unfortunate duty of working as a referee during the match where D'Lo Brown accidentally paralyzed draws. I don't see anything, by the way, when we're talking about this list worst to best I don't see anything that's that bad in there. There's only one place that was questionable to me, and that was ECW. Everything else was just a part of your damn career.
Speaker 2:Well, there's a thing, there's something they do in this business and it's called let's see if we can bury him. Okay, so they tried a lot of times to bury me, but they couldn't. They weren't successful with it because I did my job. I made people believe that I was the real GM. I did my job. So when you do your job, they ain't going to turn on you. They will turn on you if you haven't did your job, okay, if you've just been sloppy along the way, because they'll go back and remember oh yeah, I remember when you messed that up and they'll turn on you, but they never turned on me Anytime I went back after I could have been gone two or three years, I'd walk out and got the biggest pop of the night.
Speaker 1:And I pointed that out to you. Every time that you appear on TV I'll go biggest pop of the night and I'm not joking when I say that that is the honest to God's truth. When Teddy has made appearances of all the legends and people that show up listen to the audience, they go absolutely nuts for Teddy Long. It's because your character, teddy, even though you've played kind of a heel at times and a face, they love you as the character. Your personality is what sells you.
Speaker 2:Well, I wasn't a character, I was me. Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:That's true. It's so easy to play yourself.
Speaker 2:That's why I was successful, because I wouldn't be in that character. I was being me. The first time when they asked me to be the general manager of SmackDown, they came to me and they told me. They said they want you to. One of the writers said well, we're thinking about having you be like Don King. Okay. I said, what do you mean? They said, well, you know the boxing manager, don King. I said, yeah, well, we kind of want you to be like that. Well, I'm not arguing with him, you know, I'm just not getting this position.
Speaker 2:So I'm like well, whatever. But I just walked out on the TV and just started being me and after I started being me, vince liked it and he saw that that was getting over. I didn't have to betray nobody. I could be my own self Because I used to say player to my dog. I had a big Labrador Retriever named Boss and I used to tell him all the time this is why I took it to TV He'd be in the way and I'd just walk back. Come on, player, get out the way, player, okay. And I just took that to TV and the dance I started doing. I got that from my grandson. He was trying to learn how to walk and we put him in a walker and every time we put him in there, he just started bopping up and down like that.
Speaker 1:Isn't it funny how small things like that that happen in real life become the biggest things that people remember.
Speaker 2:Well, I started doing it, but I was doing it for him, because at that time we would take SmackDown and I could go back home and watch it. So when I'd get back home I'd pull him to the TV. I'd say look, look, look, I'm doing your dance. And so one day I got ready to walk TV, I said look, look, look, I'm doing your dance. And so one day I got ready to walk out. They was playing my music and just as I got to the curtain, vince was screaming at me do that dance, do that dance. So I turn around, I'm like what dance? And he started doing it. And that let me know that right there in the dance. One time we had a rehearsal when I went in the Hall of Fame. We had the rehearsal. Vince was at the rehearsal. They played my music. When I walked out, vince was doing my dance. He was already doing it.
Speaker 1:Alright, let's see Up next on the list. We've got four more here and these are from worst to best. We're getting towards his best work in WCW and WWE as, according to the Sportster, Number four is Teddy Long as a WCW referee. It says in 1985, Teddy Long got his break in the wrestling business when he was appointed a referee in Jim Crockett Promotions. After starting off as an errand boy and later moving up to the part of the ring crew, Long had definitely paid his dues and earned his spot. Long enjoyed a successful run as a referee, even officiating a World Heavyweight Championship match in February of 1989. Do you remember what match that was? No, it doesn't mention it in here and I wish it had because I remember you in many matches.
Speaker 2:Well, it might have been the Clarence and Steamboat. I don't remember when that happened, but that was a championship yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would tell you that. That's one thing. I'm not one of these historians that can tell you things like that. I watch shows and I hear guys going yeah, it was in the second hour on this night which happened to be this day. I'm like I don't know how you remember anything past the day that it happened. I couldn't tell you that. I can't tell you what I had for breakfast this morning. Let's see At number three, teddy Long, manager in WWE. After his refereeing career ended in 2002, teddy Long stepped back into a familiar role as a heel manager and you would form the Thuggin' and Buggin' Enterprises stable, which is a. Different points would consist of Rodney Mack. Different points would consist of Rodney Mack, d'lo Brown, chris Nowinski, jazz Rosie was in there too, I think right?
Speaker 2:No, I don't remember that.
Speaker 1:I don't remember if Rosie was in there or not. Mark Henry, I know, was in there, yeah, and so that being another one of your highlights of your career is becoming a manager in WWE. Who did you enjoy managing the most in WWE?
Speaker 2:Everybody that I managed, I got along with everybody. Well, the guys have passed on, so I'm going to let that go. But anyway, yeah, because he's not here to defend himself so I don't want to talk about it. But anyway, everybody that I managed, I got along with them. I had some guys come up to me and ask me you think they'll let you manage me? I said you have to talk to them.
Speaker 2:I don't make that decision, you know, yeah, but I got along with everybody and that's what my thing was. I wanted to try. That's what I tried each and every day of my life at work is to get along with people you know to be, to be nice and treat people with respect, and so I think that was part of my problem too. I didn't want to be an asshole.
Speaker 1:Well, hey, you turned into one eventually, so it's okay.
Speaker 2:Well, no, I don't.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm definitely one now. All right, now look at this Number two on your worst to best. So we're at your best. Now you got two more, your best, best being the next one, but this one I agree with Teddy. Your best best being the next one, but this one I agree with teddy long manager time in wcw. After a hard-earned, uh fruitful run as an nwa referee, teddy long transitional transition into a new role in 1989 and, by all accounts, was eddie gilbert and kevin sullivan who suggested long should be a manager. Uh, you would go on and list just a number of people in WCW. The one that most people would probably remember the best Doom if you're from back at that time. One of the best tag teams and tag team situations I can recall and I don't think we've ever had tag team wrestling since then that compared to what we got back at that time, do you?
Speaker 2:agree with that? Yeah, I certainly agree with that. Yeah, certainly. Well, the times have changed, so that's our problem there? Well, it's not a problem, it's just times have changed and you've got to change with the times. It's just that simple. But we have so many guys out there now that refuse to change with the time. They just want to remain old school. Well, fine, that's what brought us, got us to the dance. We never forget that. But you've got to move on from that because you've got to move in a different time and era. This is the 20th century that we're in.
Speaker 1:Now, teddy, what do you think is the number one moment of your career as far as they're concerned? When we go from the worst to the best, this is the best. What?
Speaker 2:do you think it's going to be? I guess me becoming the general manager of SmackDown.
Speaker 1:Yes sir, yes sir, and it is number one. It says in July of 2004, Teddy Long made history becoming the first African-American authority figure in WWE history. Long would be appointed SmackDown general manager after Kurt Angle was fired. After taking the role, Long would become a baby face and quickly endear himself to the WWE audience, and that's what we were talking about a while ago. It's endearing yourself to the audience. It's making the audience love you. Whether they hate you or not, they still love you in the end, right?
Speaker 2:Well, they hate you, but they love your job, yeah.
Speaker 1:They respect you for the job that you're doing. That's the whole thing, but I agree. I think of everything in your career, teddy, and I'm curious though for you do you feel that is the best moment of your career being the general manager for SmackDown, or do you consider?
Speaker 2:something else better. No, what else am I going to go to? I'm not a wrestler, I ain't going to never be world champion, so where else am'm going?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because we saw that match between you and Eric Bischoff and that was the shits. Well, I agree.
Speaker 2:But that match was done for a reason, and I'll leave it at that.
Speaker 1:I hear you, I hear you. That's it, teddy. We're out of time Anything. I'm glad oh good, I am too, because I got to go to the Waffle House.
Speaker 2:Waffle. You should be ashamed. Now talk about people washing their weight. Yeah, mac, please get off the waffles.
Speaker 1:Hey, no, I don't eat waffles now, but I do enjoy scrambled eggs and some hash browns I like that breakfast food.
Speaker 2:I'll go with the scrambled eggs. I don't care about the hash browns, I like my eggs, that I like that yellow running.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like mine, just good scrambled eggs. Give me some hash browns, nice and toasted, and then give me a biscuit. Maybe that would be nice, but bacon I want crispy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, that's an extra 200 pounds.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I know, teddy. You have a good evening, my friend, I'll talk to you again tomorrow.
Speaker 2:All right, no problem, man. Thank you, and let's say this to everybody Happy New Year. We're getting the New Year started and don't forget, like Mac mentioned, we're going to start going live. We're working on that right now getting everything set up and getting it ready to go.
Speaker 1:So we'll keep you informed on that. But other than that are on a Facebook YouTube, it'll be on a West West one of the Instagram or whatever those other places are. That's the reason why it's a couple more weeks away, because I don't understand it all, but I got somebody who does, so that's the good thing. We are out of here.
Speaker 2:We'll see you again next week for more Rome trip after hours. All the best, bye.
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