Big Nasty Wants JBL For Lunch

Ted Turner didn’t just bankroll a wrestling company, he helped reshape how pro wrestling reached the public, and we start by unpacking what his legacy means through the eyes of WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long. Teddy shares a personal story from early in his career, and we connect the dots between old-school media power, blunt leadership, and why one decision at the top can change who gets a shot on national TV.

Then we get into the part of the wrestling business nobody likes to admit out loud: contracts are only as “guaranteed” as the fine print allows. We talk through wrestling pay cuts, why companies protect themselves with clauses, and what talent can do when the math suddenly changes mid-deal. If you’ve ever wondered how performers should think about savings, leverage, repackaging, and negotiating an exit to another promotion, we lay it out in plain terms, including a wild story that explains why offices stopped getting “trapped” by mistakes.

Promoter Herb Simmons joins to preview SICW Fan Fest 4 in Fairview Heights, Illinois near St. Louis, with a full rundown of Mick Foley’s one-man show, Saturday fan fest hours, and the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame inductions and tributes. We also turn up the volume on the biggest tension point of the weekend: Big Nasty’s fiery promo and the looming JBL showdown, plus why this kind of promotion matters for independent wrestling.

Subscribe, share the episode with a wrestling fan, and leave us a review and a question for Teddy so we can hit it on the next show.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 3:06

Yeah, what have you done now?

SPEAKER_03 3:08

But man, I don't know. It would not shut up, so I just deleted the entire thing out. Teddy, how you doing on this Wednesday night with another edition of Road Trip After Hours?

SPEAKER_04 3:16

Are you sure this is us or A and I?

SPEAKER_03 3:19

No, no, this is us, I'm sure. Unfortunately, what was running before that was probably some AI that was trying to take over the show. I was like, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_04 3:27

Well, I'm good. I hope everybody that's tuned in are doing great too. Getting ready for a big night of wrestling, S I C W fan fest, uh, this uh Friday and Saturday night over there in uh Fairbanks. Uh what is that, Virginia? Uh no, I know it's right out of St. Louis, but I was trying to figure out Fairbanks, Illinois. Is that what it is? Fairview Heights. Fairview Heights. Okay, all right. Yeah, Jesus Christ. I said something about Virginia, but I know it's right out of St. Louis, so Fairview Heights.

SPEAKER_03 4:03

Oh, that's hilarious. And Herb, by the way, will be our special guest tonight. Uh, we're gonna talk about uh Fan Fest four. And uh if anybody knows the ups and downs and the craziness of putting on a fan fest, uh Herb is one of those guys, and he'll be with us a little bit later to talk about the event for this weekend. And uh, of course, Teddy and I will be uh doing uh drop-ins from there as well while we're in uh the Fairview uh Heights, Illinois area, uh just outside of San St. Louis, Teddy. I'm not really sure. That's something we need to ask him too because I'm not sure how close St. Louis is to Fairview Heights.

SPEAKER_04 4:35

Well, I think it's uh well, what I've heard is between 25 to 30 miles.

Remembering Ted Turner’s Impact

SPEAKER_03 4:39

Yeah. All right, let me ask you a few things before we get uh to some of that though. Uh I do want to mention uh I saw that uh Ted Turner passed away today.

SPEAKER_04 4:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:49

Teddy, you know, I know you worked uh under Ted Turner for uh many years. Did you ever get to work with Ted?

SPEAKER_04 4:57

Well, here's the I'm gonna tell you something, and this is a true story, okay? And this is what I was told by somebody that knew. Uh when I first went to work, then they put me on TV as a referee. Somebody didn't want to do that, but I the way it was told to me said Ted Turner wanted that black, black referee on his TV. Now that's a true story. That's what was told to me when I first broke in and started out in the business. So I got a chance to meet Ted. Uh he was married to Jane at the time, and uh had the when I was managing Mark Merrow, Johnny B. Bad. Well, uh Vince, uh I mean, I'm sorry, Dusty God rest his soul. He set up something that uh he wanted to bring us up to meet Ted Turner, and let Ted see Johnny B. Bad, see, you know, see the character. So I had a chance to meet him right there. And so he was well, Jane was really the one that was thrilled with it. She she was having a ball with it, man. So uh that's how I I did meet him. I do have a picture somewhere with him. I'm uh gonna look for that so I can kind of put that up.

SPEAKER_03 5:55

My father knew Ted, uh, because he grew up in Savannah. Originally he was from Savannah, and uh they he went to school there. My dad knew him from that school at the time because they were around kind of the same age, so he he knew who Ted was. And uh he used to tell me he was always he said Ted was a very crass individual, but he was always honest. He would always just he said he was one of those blunt individuals. I that means I probably would have really liked the guy, Teddy, because he's just like it sounds like you and I. He just tells you how it is, he doesn't give a shit, you know.

SPEAKER_04 6:25

What's wrong with that? That's what we more people should do today, you know. Stop hiding and you know, start, you know, just being treated or mistreated or whatever talk, let somebody know.

SPEAKER_03 6:34

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:35

God damn. I mean, there's just so much selling out you can do.

SPEAKER_03 6:38

I mean, think about uh had Ted Turner not come in and invested into professional wrestling uh for his super station. Do you think that that uh the Jim Crockett, the NWA, do you think it would have survived much longer?

SPEAKER_04 6:53

Well, no, I don't because they they knew it wasn't gonna survive. That's you you think they'd have never sold it if they'd have thought they'd have made the profit? No, they wouldn't have never sold it. They knew it wasn't gonna survive because, like I said, it wasn't their fault. They they they getting good stuff out there, but it takes money to you know to operate, so you gotta be selling tickets, and you know, and then like I said, it takes money. So I think that was a good thing. Ted did come along, invested in it, got it back to going, kept everybody, you know. Basically they sold it, but everybody kept jobs, you know, they were still working for Ted.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

So and which is funny to me, too, because that sounds like a completely different scenario than today, because you know, in today's uh world, we see where TKO employees and some of the higher-ups are getting these huge bonuses and talking about all this money that they're making while eliminating personnel, people like the New Day, who Teddy went in there and they had a three-year. I'm I'm I'm gonna ask you this, and I could I couldn't wait to get you on the show because maybe you know this answer. But in these contracts, if you sign a contract for three years, Teddy, do they really have the option to go in a year into that contract and say, hey, uh, no, we don't agree to that number we said originally in the three-year contract. So we're gonna make that a lower number, about 50%. Is that okay with you?

SPEAKER_04 8:12

Well, they have the legal right to do it because here's the deal. You know what I mean? You gotta look at it with reality, like it is. Kovey and uh Xavier, they've been there what over 10 years. Yeah. Okay. So I mean, 10 years, you gotta have a little bit of sense too. You gotta save your money. You know what I mean? If you got any kind of sense about this business, you know this is not promised to no one. You can have a job tonight and they'll provide you it the next day. So you gotta think, keep all that in your mind, too. So, like I said, they've been there a long time, you know what I mean? And so sometimes you just run out of ideas. I mean, really, what do you do with them now for the length of the time that they've been there? You'd have to leave them off a little bit, try to repackage them and maybe bring them back. But now, is that worth it to the company to wait on them and to bring them back? So I'll answer you though. And I want to say this too, it's just like with the contracts, whatever they sign you to, don't believe me, they got something there that if you something ain't right, they can get out of it. Or they put a clause in that thing that releases them from anything that you try to do. Because, like I said, if you ain't selling tickets, you ain't making the company no money, like Vince said one time. How can you go to the bank bank and take money out when you ain't put none in there?

SPEAKER_03 9:20

But if you got somebody, I mean, and I'm thinking as a talent, if if if I've signed a three-year contract and I'm and and my contract at the time of that signing, I was basing it that this is for three years because I may have had another option that could have been a little bit different, and the years and the dollars could have made you know better sense somewhere else. How changed that contract?

SPEAKER_04 9:41

Well, they because they've got it in there when they did it, it's in that they've got something in that contract. They're never gonna be buying to none because that happened back in the day when they didn't know anybody and they got bind to these contracts. Where when if they didn't do right, they had to pay a guy all this money. If he didn't even serve out his year or whatever, they had to still give him all his money. So they're not gonna let that happen to him. And I tell you what happened to was the iron sheet. One time they fired him, forgot they fired him, never did call uh the office and let anybody know. So he he got a check for three grand every week for a whole year.

SPEAKER_03 10:17

Oh my god, imagine the money.

SPEAKER_04 10:20

God, so that's what I'm saying. That's when they start finding out, you know, a little loose and say, hey, we got to do something about this. We ain't gonna get trapped like this no more. So, what I'm saying to the new day is they offered them a pay cut, you know what I mean? Take the pay cut, go home, let them repackage you, whatever, figure out what they want to do, but you're still getting a check every week. Some money is better than no money. I'd rather be on one than zero, it's just that simple.

SPEAKER_03 10:45

But you know, I I well and I'll I'll I'll end it right here. But if I'm thinking about that contract and they let me out of it, I don't want to take less because I might be able to get more in AEW. Tony Khan's out there, he may pay you the money you're looking for, and you don't have that option because WWE said, No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You can't go over there until this time, and we're gonna change the amount of your contract just because we can.

SPEAKER_04 11:10

Well, this is this is where you negotiate. Then if you want to take a pay cut, then okay, I'll take that pay cut, but this then I'd like to have this. If I get the opportunity to go somewhere else, can I get out of this contract and go that somewhere? You gotta negotiate too.

Live Chat Questions And Subscribing

SPEAKER_03 11:24

No, that's true, too. Medicine Man Mick, good to see you in here, my friend. Uh saying hope everyone is doing good tonight. And thank you for uh popping into the room. And by the way, you can be a part of the show simply by leaving your comments in the comment section. We'll throw it up on the screen and talk about it. Uh, it doesn't cost you anything. There are no super stickers or anything else. Uh, this is absolutely free for you to use. Now, I will say this: you can do us a big favor. Uh, if you will, leave the questions in the comment section. Don't just say hey, but leave us a question as well that Teddy can answer. But also go down below and hit that subscription button and the notification bell, all that other stuff that's down there. Click and hit on that, leave comments because it all helps the algorithm for Teddy and I to get higher numbers on this show and to get it out to more and more people. As a matter of fact, you can share it if you don't mind. Also, let's see, we have uh Ellen, I think is the yeah, Ellen's in the room saying happy hump day, Teddy and Mac. Buddy says hi, and we got uh horse camp paid in full from the t-shirt sales.

SPEAKER_04 12:20

All right, well, congratulations to you guys, and thank everybody that uh helped those helped uh Buddy and them out. Thank you guys for buying those t-shirts, man. They're they they y'all really did a good cause.

SPEAKER_03 12:31

Zach Minger uh saying that uh today is National Nurses Day, Teddy and Mac. What happened to the candy stripers? They don't have those anymore, do they?

SPEAKER_04 12:40

No, they they went to being strippers, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:42

Well, she oh, there's so many jokes I could go with right there, and I'm trying not to. All right, let's see.

SPEAKER_04 12:51

You said candy stripers, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:53

Man, I and I used to love the candy stripers, like I'd get sick in a hospital just so I could go see a candy striper.

SPEAKER_04 12:58

I know, I know you did.

Herb Simmons Joins For Fan Fest

SPEAKER_03 13:00

Uh, let's see who sings this song. I'm not sure what song. I you may be talking about the intro song, and uh, that's one I had put together uh by uh a private uh individual. So if that's what you're talking about, um Dave Crone. Teddy loves this. What's up, gentlemen? Fan Fest 4 around the corner. And Dave, you're absolutely right. Uh, it is coming up around the corner. As a matter of fact, in the room with us right now, I'm gonna bring him in here. This is Mr. Herb Simmons, and he is the promoter of SICW Fan Fest 4 in the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame. Herb, great to see you in here.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

Hey, great. Thanks uh for having me on. And uh, weather is really beautiful here in uh Fairbanks, Virginia. I had to I had to do that, Teddy.

SPEAKER_04 13:50

I said I said Herb's gonna kill me.

SPEAKER_00 13:53

Don't feel bad, I get it mixed up also. Um and I live here.

SPEAKER_03 13:57

So no, but uh we've got the uh the show coming up this weekend. I know you've got to be going crazy. Uh, but uh tell everybody about what the show is going to entail starting on Friday and lasting through Saturday.

Fan Fest Schedule And Marketing Push

SPEAKER_00 14:09

Yeah, uh, we know we're just uh a couple of days away here, and uh it's it's it's been uh it's it's been a journey, and I I can't thank you guys enough for being a part of it. Teddy uh putting some of these matches together as the general manager has really got some of the boys in the locker room's head spinning, I can tell you. So I might have to talk about him with a long-term deal here, you know. So uh, but uh yeah, Friday night, uh, you know, uh the doors will open about five. Mick Foley will be there doing his one-man show. Uh set up, the boys that are coming in town to have uh uh their table set up. Uh already heard from some of them. Uh, but it's a uh it's it's gonna be great. Uh looking forward to have Mick in here. Uh and then uh Saturday, the doors open at 10 a.m. Um, you know, everybody will be up in there ready to go. Uh we want the fans to come and have a great time. Uh the city of Fairview Heights, uh, the mayor uh cut a nice promo. We had a uh TV coverage on that this week, and uh uh they jumped on board as one of our sponsors or Chamber of Commerce. And uh I mean uh we was out yesterday and uh um uh the big Texan uh one who will be in action Saturday night went out and put out about 300, 400 flyers uh throughout the area. So the word is out there. Uh we had uh commercials on NXT last night here out of the St. Louis market. Uh very cool. We've seen a uh spike in calls today after that. So there's no uh stones being left unturned, I can tell you. Everybody is sharing it and doing it. Uh so the fan fest will run until about 4:30-ish, and then uh we'll set up for the uh St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame, where uh we'll be inducting uh Andre the Giant, uh Johnny Rods, and uh Spike Huber. Uh we got somebody there will be uh handling uh Chris Owens gonna help with the induction of Andre, has a large collection of uh Andre's uh memorabilia. Uh Carmai Despirito, uh good friend, uh great guy gonna be there. Him and Johnny Rods are personal friends, he's gonna help with that. And uh Spike Huber, longtime friend of uh SICW, uh uh I'll be helping uh do his. And we're really uh looking forward to getting them gentlemen into class for 2026 as they've all done such great. And then after the Hall of Fame, uh we will during that we'll also we're paying uh tribute to uh Hulk Hogan, the late Hulk. Uh Jimmy Hart uh has joined on. He'll be with us, he'll be helping take part of that. A little uh just a little tribute for him. And then uh Rich Englan, uh who uh was the vice chairman of the Cauliflower Alley Club, we all know, passed away a few weeks back. Uh, we're gonna pay tribute to Rich and uh his wife reached out to me and uh couldn't make it, but she asked that I send a video of uh she really wanted to, but she what she's going through, I I understand wholeheartedly. Uh we'll make sure she gets a copy of the video. And uh, but uh, you know, and then we've got the uh Sam uh Muchnik uh uh uh award going out, and that goes to uh the local sports director uh from KSDK Channel 5 uh TVs, the sports uh director Frank Cusamano, uh who uh he I did an interview with him this week, and I'm taking Jimmy Hart out to him on Friday morning when his plane lands at 7:30 to get that last-minute TV plugs in and radio plugs, and uh so uh nobody can say we at least didn't try to get the word out there, you know.

SPEAKER_03 17:37

And there are a ton of people. I do want to show this so everybody who's watching right now can see who's gonna be there. Uh and of course it's subject to change, and there may be names that are not on this list because it changes drastically, Herb. So hopefully, this is the most current one, I believe. Uh, but we've got a lot of names, including, like you mentioned, Mick Foley, uh, the Rock and Roll Express will be there with Robert Gibson uh as well, and uh Carrie Morton, uh Ricky Morton's son will be there, who I work with in JCW, Buff Bagwell, Johnny Robbs, as you mentioned, uh Congo Kong, Greg Valentine, Teddy Long, of course, Baron von Rashke. Uh, there's so many other names. Do you find it that you towards this time of the uh, you know, where you're getting into this close to the show, that your phones pick up with more talent going, hey, you got another table available somewhere? Oh, it's it's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_00 18:26

I mean, I I the little hair I got left. I mean, it's it's it's it's it's been great. But my son Jason tells me, Dad, you gotta learn how to start saying no. But uh, but he'll he'll he'll learn that you know the reputations that you build is how you treat people and how you want to be treated. And exactly. And then that's what I think uh yeah, he he's learning that real quickly. And uh, you know, and I've got a great uh family uh support. Uh and the locker room is just uh the tops. I mean, uh, you know, uh guys are taking off of their day jobs to come in on Friday to help set up early, and uh late Thursday night we'll be putting the ring and everything up, and uh so it's uh it's a team effort. Nobody can do it all on their own. I sure can't do it on my own.

SPEAKER_04 19:09

Now, what time is the signing time for Friday night?

SPEAKER_00 19:12

Uh though we'll be there six o'clock. Uh I mean we'll whatever time we're gonna be there. The door's open for a mixed show uh at five o'clock, but I I like to get the guys that are in town. I've got a lot of uh people flying in, starting it, like I said, Jimmy's the first one, 7:30 uh Friday morning, and then about every hour, hour and a half we got more people coming in. And I've got volunteers uh picking them up at the airport and driving to uh and then we got to get them all back out of town on Sunday because we don't want to be late.

SPEAKER_04 19:39

Now, how far is that drive, Herb, from uh St. Louis Airport? Uh about 20, 25 minutes. Okay, all right. I wanted to I wanted to get it from you because I talked to Nick about it, and Nick seemed like it it was uh we'd have to start in Alaska and go all the way from Alaska. Well, you're talking to him.

SPEAKER_03 19:58

Says the guy, says the guy, Herb, who earlier uh had you in Virginia. Yeah, and you talked about it. Oh wow, okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

You had to bring that back up again. Wow. And Nick is a great guy. Nick has been hips every year, these the four we've done, and uh uh him and I um uh I mean you can't do it without somebody like Nick, but you don't want to ask Nick about driving because he don't drive, you know.

SPEAKER_04 20:23

That's what I said to him. I said, Nick, I'm talking to the wrong guy.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Yeah, you know, you tell him to get on that bicycle, he'll he'll he'll make it over to on that bicycle, you know. He drive he he pedals about a hundred miles away.

SPEAKER_04 20:33

And the other the other thing too, now who know me and you were talking earlier today, and you were talking about ticket sales and everything. I know your ringside is almost sold out. How's that going? If people need to come and get it, is there any ringside left?

SPEAKER_00 20:45

The ringside's uh sold out the two front rows around the ring. We we did that as a premium upgrade, like we've done each year, and they're sold out. Uh, a lot of general missions have been sold. Uh, you know, one uh person has called a day and ordered 20 of them. Uh so uh I'm expecting a good crowd there. Uh, you know, we got it, we're right here in Fairview Heights, Illinois. The uh Scott Air Force Base is in O'Fallon, Illinois, uh Moscuta area, which is 10-15 minutes away. So we get we draw from that uh Scott Air Force Base, which is uh I don't know how much you know about Scott Air Force Base, but it's uh it's where nothing moves in the military unless it goes through Scott Air Force Base on their command center. So uh and one of our referees that's uh coming back uh to uh help out to this, uh retired out of uh uh Scott Air Force Base and moved to Arizona, but he's coming back to referee for us, and uh so a lot of his cohorts from the military is coming to support him. And uh, but you know we've got the uh Bruiser Brodia Memorial Battle Royal that'll take place that night. We got 25 guys that's entered into that.

Hall Of Fame Inductions And Tributes

SPEAKER_03 21:49

I I don't I don't want I don't want to cut you off, Her, but you but you kind of uh left off one person in that hall of fame when you were talking about it a while ago, and I wanted to bring that up. Uh you mentioned about three of the guys, but you Didn't talk about the fact that you were also going into that hall of fame. And I I've said this for months now, probably close to a year since uh we, you know, I first heard that there's a possibility. You belong in the hall of fame. I can't imagine. I think anybody who has ever worked under you or for you understands that you're a rare, rare individual in this business. For you to go into the Hall of Fame, and I think Teddy, you agree, is very well deserved.

SPEAKER_04 22:27

Well, Herb is like this, and I'm kind of like that too. We're old school. I love that attention. That's fine, but it really doesn't bother me. I enjoy what I do. As long as I can make some people happy and treat somebody right, then that's all I care about.

SPEAKER_00 22:42

Well, and and and man, I tell you, I love those, I love the words, and I I appreciate all that. And I when this all came about, um last year, Nick Redner was one of the spearheaders of it. And then, of course, everybody in the locker room jumped on board. And I don't know if I mentioned this to you before, Mac. I may have, but uh, we were at a show in Collinsville, Illinois, and my son came out because I stay out of the locker room. I, you know, I have a booker that does that, and I have generals in the locker room. And if I get called to the locker room, it's usually there's a problem, which it very seldom is. But my son came out and said, Dad, uh, they need to see you in the locker room. And first thing I said, is there a problem? If there's a problem, why are you calling me? Why aren't you handling it? You know, so I go back there and I walk in the door, and all the guys and gals are standing up, and and Nick starts his uh speech about it, you know, said, Hey, we've decided next year. And this is before we even knew we were having a fan fest. Yeah. They knew I was gonna, I will always, as long as I got breath, will have the Bruiser Brodia Memorial, because that's a pledge that I've made to Barbara, his uh widow. Um, so they knew we were having that, and we always tie that in with the uh wrestling at the chase celebration, which is 67 years old this year, uh, and then the Bruiser Brodia Battle Royal. So they knew we would have that. So they said, but we're gonna induct you into the St. Louis Hall of Fame. And I explained to them, and I've done this over and over. When Larry and I came up with the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame, we made a pact that it was gonna be for the people who built that foundation, uh, from Sam Muchnik on down to the Funks, the Briscoe's, the Von Ericks, the Kaniskis, the Valentines, there's like 63 people in there now. Um, you know, we don't have a chauffeur in there. Uh, we do have a movie star. Terry Funk is in there and he starred in the movie Roadhouse. But but I I even though I'm building on that foundation and have been building for 53 years, but to say that I'm a Sam Muchnik or one of the boys who went out there and blood, blood, sweat, and tears, uh, I mean, I'm humbled by that. But that's why I I'm like Teddy, just let me help make people happy. Right, man. And I mean, it's truly an honor and I appreciate it, but uh it's for the guys who's really laid that foundation, like you know, Teddy's right there. You know, you've been out there, you've been a worker. I've never taken a bump, except for one time and got a broken rib.

SPEAKER_03 24:59

But we wouldn't have been able to take those bumps, though. This is my point. We couldn't have taken those bumps if people like you didn't give us the opportunities and a place to take those bumps.

SPEAKER_04 25:08

Yeah, you you got guys still taking bumps.

SPEAKER_00 25:11

Yeah, well, I do, and I got a great, I got a great group of them, I'm telling you. I I I and there's you know, in this area, there's uh all kinds of promotions, and I wish them all well. I just wish I could get them all to sit down around the table one time and let's do what's best for the business instead of the egos getting in the way. But that's not gonna happen. I've learned that after all these years. So I just kind of said, okay, we're gonna we're gonna go with it. We're gonna have to worry about what SICW does. I'm old school, you're not gonna change me. Uh, we're gonna have storylines and I'm gonna reach out to the guys that I know and have worked with. Um, it's like I told him last year at uh Cauliflower Alley when they uh honored me with the Promoter of the Year award. I I told him then I don't know how much gas I got left in the tank, but I introduced my son out there and I I asked all the guys in the audience, and you know, I said, Hey, the only thing I can ask of you is if he decides to take over, that you give him the same respect that you've gave me. And then uh and the only thing I ask also, if he messes up, kick him in the rear. Like you did.

SPEAKER_03 26:11

And I wouldn't mention I've had this on the screen for a while. Your son did pop in the room saying, Good evening, dad. And uh and I spoke about Jason and your family. Uh I was in another podcast. I was a actually a guest on another podcast this week, and I had mentioned your family. You've got an incredible family. Not only does FanFest work because Herb Simmons is there, but your family is every bit a part of this event year after year.

SPEAKER_04 26:37

They've always been a team.

SPEAKER_03 26:39

Yes, yes. And I gotta tell you, to see that, you know, it's not many times you see a family that tight-knit and that do that much together. So hats off to you, Herb, for that.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Well, and then let me just finish real quick. When they called me into the locker room that night, I I I I said, no, it's not happening. Close case closed. I'm the boss that you know, I'd very seldom put my foot down, but no, it's not happening. I didn't know my wife was in the locker room. My wife never comes in the locker room, never in 50 some years, never been there. And the guys were she was sitting behind the guys, and all I hear is his voice, shut up, herb. And then the guys kind of spread open, and there she gets up out of the chair, and she said, This is it. It's the it's a done deal. You're not arguing about it, it's gonna happen. I said so. And so I got to say the last two words, and that was yes dear, you know. So, but uh, but so I mean, I am truly humbled with all the guys, and um Nick and I just had this conversation the other day when we were together, and he said, No, we're doing it. Uh I said, Nick, let's don't, let's don't push the don't poke the bear here, is words of Mac Davis, you know.

SPEAKER_03 27:45

Speaking of which, I do want to bring that up too. You know, there is something uh we've been dealing with on the show here, Herb, and that has been uh with your own uh Big Nasty. Uh, I want to for those of you who have not seen or know of Big Nasty, let me just show you a recent promo that he did, and we'll come back on the other side of this here.

SPEAKER_01 28:07

Remind everybody that of all of the pro wrestlers walking the earth and that are alive, there was only one man that got JBL to come out of retirement. There's only one man that has JBL set to go one-on-one, and it's me. You're looking at him, fanfest, may not. I didn't know you had Alice working here. I'm slapping the lips off of JBL, I'm whipping his ass, I'm pinning him. One, two, three, and I'm gonna stand over his body, and I'm gonna take his legacy. Everything that he has built is now mine. Title. Does Santa know that you left the workshop? The world's gonna know who I am! I'm the creator of chaos, I'm the moment maker, I'm the risk taker, I'm mentally sick, I'm physically sick, my name is Big Nasty, and everywhere I go! Did you have to borrow reindeer to get down here? I'm the star of the show. And on May 9th at the Radisson Hotel in Fairview Heights, Illinois, we're gonna find out in real time during my talk show segment, Nasty Talk Live, from Teddy Long, the GM himself, what the magic type is. JVL, I hope you are prepared. I hope that you've been training, because if not, you better pack a lunch because it's gonna be a long ass night Hall of Famer.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

He's an angry elf.

Big Nasty vs JBL Hype

SPEAKER_03 29:41

So the question is, Herb, tell us a little bit about Big Nasty and what can we expect when we meet him in person? The person we saw on the air that was a guest on our show was much nicer than the person I just saw in that promo.

SPEAKER_00 29:57

Well, if I'll say this, if if he can back up what he's saying and what he's portraying there, then JBL's got a problem, but I just don't believe that. I believe sometimes his bark is worse than his bite. Uh he is on an eagle trip like nobody else that I've ever seen. And I've been I've seen a lot of guys, and he's a young man, a graduate of the Cowboy Bob Orton Jr.'s Ace Wrestling Academy. I can't take anything away from him there. Uh he's a uh he's a cheater. Of course, he only considers a cheating if he gets caught. But um he, for whatever reason, he's you know, he's he's gone up against guys like Buff Bagwell. Uh tried the same thing with them. And I don't know how many times he's gonna have to learn his lesson. Now maybe he's learned something that I'm not aware of here, but uh, but he he has been a little a little far in the side, and uh I gotta correct him. There's only one man that got JBL to come out of that retirement, and he's right there, your co-host. Teddy Long was in Las Vegas and got JBL today.

SPEAKER_04 31:02

Well, I want to say this too, Herb, and I have to disagree with you guys now. I've watched Big Nasty, I've watched a promo that he just cut, outstanding promo. I mean, it don't get no better than that. And then you know, you say he's been wrestling guys like Bob Bagwell, but Buff Bagwell is no JBL. And what you gotta understand next is Big Nasty wants to make a name for himself. And how better to do it than wrestling a guy like JBL and plus beating him. So there's nobody that's unbeatable. You can get beat on any given night. So if you know, for me listening to that promo and watching his mannerism and body language, brother is dead serious. So if I was JBL, I'd be kind of thinking about who I'm stepping in the ring with. Because I tell you, I got a lot of respect for you, Nasty. And whatever I put you in, we're just gonna have to find out what happened. But everybody, I believe this guy here may pull it off. I'm just being honest with you.

SPEAKER_00 31:57

Well, and and I I gotta tell you, I'm I'm concerned because he he has got the determination. I mean, uh, we had the uh TV uh come in this week and he found out that I was doing an interview with the mayor of Fairview Heights, and uh he came in and butted in on that. And uh so he's he's not as scared to do anything like that. But um I I just well you gotta think about this too.

SPEAKER_04 32:22

You you you gotta think about this. What will this do for his career? What the what's the opportunity he's he has here uh on Friday, on uh Saturday night? Brother, I'm telling you, this this guy's dead serious, and if I was JBL, I wouldn't be kind of half-stepping him. I'd be getting real serious.

SPEAKER_00 32:39

Well, and that was what I was gonna ask you guys. You you've seen him, you've had him on your show. Uh Teddy, have you seen anybody, a young man like this, getting his feet wet, have the uh intestinal fortitude that he is showing here?

SPEAKER_04 32:52

No, no, I have not. And I like I said, I know what the me and him may not agree on different things, but I want to congratulate him on the job that he is doing. He is outstanding, man. The promos are great, they got intensity, and some of his body language, when you look at it, he's for real. He's not really playing around. So you got to take guys like that real serious because they want to make a name for himself. Like right now, he's the champion. He needs he wants to stay champion, and he's a guy that would do anything to keep that title.

SPEAKER_00 33:21

Oh, yeah. There's no, like I said, I can't take it away from him. I just, you know, I said I've had headaches, and uh, you know, everyone I get is usually coming from him, but uh he's only got a and again, and you and you said it, if he pulls this off, his his uh popularity, whether you like him or not, goes through the roof. Right.

SPEAKER_03 33:40

I I honestly Herb and I this is what Teddy is saying too, but the work that he's done just to promote uh this event uh has been very impressive because there are too many times when you have people in the locker room who just show up to do a match. And the reality, if you can give a promoter more, like what Glenn has been doing, where he's feeding you videos, he's feeding you all these different social media uh pieces you can use to promote the event, that is how a worker should be working. It's not just the match in the ring, it's everything before that as well. Uh so you know, despite how much I may not like uh Big Nasty, I got my hats off to him. He's done an incredible job as far as being a professional.

Final Ticket Details And Wrap

SPEAKER_04 34:26

Yeah, you gotta take you gotta take this guy serious, I'm telling you now.

SPEAKER_03 34:30

Yep. And by the way, we're we're we're running out of time. Herb, anything you want to share? I know uh if you want tickets, so we're gonna run a commercial right at the end of this and give you all the information you need. But Herb, anything in particular we need to know before we see that commercial?

SPEAKER_00 34:42

Nope. Just uh everybody come out. You can still get uh the tickets while they're available to SICW.org. And uh, like I said, let's come out and let's have a great time and meet all the great legends. And uh again, I can't thank you and Teddy uh uh for what you're doing. And Teddy, I'm really looking forward to seeing these other matches that you're putting together.

SPEAKER_04 35:00

All right, no problem, man. I'm just waiting to be, I can't wait to be there.

SPEAKER_03 35:03

All right, Herb, I'll see you again in just a couple of days. Uh, I've been uh your host for the show, Mac Davis. That of course is WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long, and our special guest, Mr. Herb Simmons for SICW's Fan Fest Four.

SPEAKER_02 35:19

You want an or Well, here it comes. Fan Fest Four returning it up. Two hours to be very four more.