The Rock Respects You, Booker Man & Undertaker's Brush With The Law: Ten Things You May Have Missed In Wrestling This Week

Spare a thought this week for Terry Funk, who is now living in an assisted living facility due to the effects of dementia and other debilitating health problems.

I mean, seriously, who doesn't love the Funker?

One of the best professional wrestlers ever, Terry has been active across six decades and given so much to the industry.

Whether he was the NWA Champion of the 70's, the mad dog grizzled veteran piledriving Ric Flair on a table in the 80's, the lovable hardcore grandpa of the 90's and 2000's or, well, just about any incarnation of Funk is enjoyable for one reason or another and I, as well as everyone at Cultaholic, hope he is doing as well as he can be.

Dementia really is an egg-sucking dog, and we all know how the man from the Double Cross Ranch feels about those...

For this week's Ten Things, we check in with some familiar faces for more colourful stories, interactions, silliness, rumour and innuendo, including a classic Bob Holly bullying story and the fears AJ Styles had before joining WWE.

P.S. Depending on how England get on in this Sunday's Euro 2020 final, I might not be around for next week's piece.

'No surrender, five-day bender' and all that.

10. The Following Pre-Tapes Have Been Paid For By Vince McMahon

WWE.com

This week marked twenty five years since the original formation of the New World Order (at WCW Bash at the Beach 1996).

Though they helped WCW pull ahead in the Monday Night Wars, the Order were not welcomed with open arms when Vince McMahon decided to bring them into WWE in early 2002.

Considered a potentially disruptive locker room presence, the likes of The Rock, Steve Austin and other top stars were hesitant to work with Hogan, Hall and Nash.

And Vince himself apparently had issues with the group, as Kurt Angle revealed on a recent edition of the Kurt Angle Show podcast.

According to the Olympic Hero, early in the nWo's WWE tenure the Chairman had the trio stay in the studio until the early hours of the morning in order to get a pre-taped segment right after they kept neglecting to listen to his instruction.

"I remember when nWo came back to the WWE, and Vince had them all night doing pre-tapes because they would say what they wanted to say.

And Vince was like, 'No, you're going to say what I tell you to say', and they kept doing it all night. And Vince was also trying to teach them a lesson about you know, leaving him high and dry in the nineties and going to WCW.

I think there was a little bit of a message of, 'I'm going to get you back for this, you're going to be doing pre-tapes all night', and they did. They went until like five in the morning. So, Vince is a perfectionist. He wants it done right"

In the same episode of the always-entertaining podcast, Angle also talked about how Vince threatened to fine him and Steve Austin $2,000 (per take) for laughing and ruining the filming of their infamous tiny cowboy hat bit.

9. Annoyingly Effective

WWE.com

Colt Cabana has been one of the most successful independent wrestlers of the past twenty years and is currently enjoying life as a member of the AEW roster, but his late-2000's WWE run was one to forget.

Cabana was released in 2009 and didn't have any shortage of offers in the immediate aftermath of getting wished well in his future endeavours.

However, he did have a pesky 90-day non-compete clause. Luckily for the one-time Scotty Goldman, he had a way of circumventing it.

Speaking with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Cabana divulged his strategy.

He was supposed to clear any independent dates with WWE's then-Talent Relations Senior Director Ty Bailey, but Bailey's contact was very infrequent.

So Cabana began filling up Ty's email inbox with all the requests he had, prompting WWE to simply buy him out of the clause, giving Cabana a lump sum payment and ensuring he was free to work whatever dates he wanted.

On the subject of non-compete clauses, it is rather funny that just a couple of days ago, the former Aleister Black was able to debut on AEW Dynamite so soon after being released because of a simple clerical error on WWE's part.

A billion-dollar company with nickel brains.

8. Bully Holly

WWE.com

WWE veteran Bob 'Hardcore' Holly has a reputation within the industry for, at times, being a bit of a bully.

Incidents like him roughing up Matt Cappotelli during an episode of the second season of Tough Enough and later battering Rene Dupree over an unpaid parking ticket (which caused Holly a major headache and could have seen him have his license suspended to be fair) are two of the more notorious examples of the grizzled veteran taking out his frustrations and settling scores during matches.

This week, former WWE star Chris Masters spoke with Metro.co.uk and outlined his own issues with the former Tag Team and Hardcore Champion.

According to The Masterpiece, Holly had it in for him from the beginning of his WWE career and supposedly went out of his way to be booked opposite him in order to, as Masters puts it, rough him up in the ring.

"Bob Holly just had a bad impression of me from the start, and that’s a whole other story. But I ended up missing my first TV taping in Ohio Valley Wrestling, and Bob Holly happened to be there.

So, he knew that I'd missed it – again, that's a whole other story, but he already had a bad impression of me. So, I go with the OVW crew to visit SmackDown so they can see the talent before the show and what not.

I'm making way round backstage, I greeted mostly everyone I've come in contact with. But I walk through the locker room and I’m just walking straight to my bag and I don’t see out of the corner of my eye, but Bob Holly's there and he's having a conversation with a couple of other vets.

I went straight to my bag, and Bob already had a bad taste in his mouth about me but he took that like I was shunning him or not showing him respect. When really, I wouldn’t say it was that at all.

He got really angry, man. He's cutting promos on me. He was trying to get that [match with Carlito] switched to me, essentially so he could rough me up, probably chop the sh*t out of me and all of that.

I was just really worried, like, 'Oh man, will I be able to withstand this?'. It was just really a mindf*ck. But on the drive home I realised, 'This is what you wanted to do, this is your dream. This is what you've wanted to do your whole life, so you don't have any other option, you gotta push forward and you gotta learn from this'". 

Masters - who now works for the NWA as Chris Adonis - did say that incidents such as that ended up helping him become more aware of backstage etiquette.

7. The Rock's Regret

WWE.com

By the summer of 2001, it was obvious to pretty much everyone that The Rock would not be in WWE for the long-term and that it would get harder and harder for wrestling to hold onto the budding Hollywood star.

One of The Rock's last major programmes before heading off to Tinseltown full-time was a feud with Booker T during the WCW/ECW Invasion.

Shane Helms was revisiting their first major match (at SummerSlam 2001) recently, tweeting out:

Doing cardio watching @TheRock vs @BookerT5x from @WWE SummerSlam 2001. Two of my favorite opponents and favorite people I’ve worked with in the Biz. I wish these two woulda had more matches together.

That got a response from The Great One himself, who shared that he too wished they would've shared the ring more:

Thank you, brother. I do too actually. One of my biggest regrets was not having a long run w Book. He was one of my fav workers and the best pure athlete I’ve ever wrestled. Fluid, sharp, believable movements and work style. I always say his moves had a rare swagger. 

Booker heard about the high praise and then spoke about what it meant to him, as well as his memories working with The Rock, on the Hall of Fame podcast:

"I really appreciate The Rock saying those kind words as far as me being one of the most athletic guys. Me being, pretty much, a damn good worker. I get props like that for a lot of guys like Bret Hart. Bret Hart is one of the guys who says he really enjoyed working with me in WCW and I think he enjoyed working with me because there was chemistry. 

Hearing that coming from The Rock, it means a lot. Him saying that he wished our feud would’ve lasted a whole lot longer. That's reality. It should have. I feel like it could have been a six-month or year 'marriage' with The Rock if done properly. 

I don't know how good it would’ve been though. For me, working with The Rock, it would have gotten better the more times we worked. I don't remember working any house shows with The Rock. That's a rarity. We never got that chance to [work house shows]. That's a match I don't think I've ever looked at. 

The Rock and I never got a chance to become friends. Laugh with each other, break bread with each other. I always thought he was, I wouldn't say untouchable, but he was a WWE guy. For me, coming in from WCW, I gave him that respect because he deserved it. I do think, over time, our chemistry would have been uncanny and we would have had that match that I could look back on and say, 'That was the match'. 

I don't remember a match or moment that I can look back on and say, 'That was my WWE moment' as far as in-ring goes because I became a total entertainer".

The Five-Time WCW Champion is right, as a quick perusal of the records shows that, outside of the SummerSlam bout and a handicap match (Booker teaming with Shane) at the next month's Unforgiven, they didn't really work many other matches together.

6. The Phenomenal One's Fear

WWE Network

When AJ Styles finally decided to sign with WWE in early 2016, over fifteen years into his sports entertainment career, he naturally had a couple of reservations.

In a recent interview with Out of Character with Ryan Satin, The Phenomenal One said that while he wasn't worried about having to report to NXT first, or even getting a new name (so WWE could own it), he was a little anxious about a potential gimmick change that might be waiting for him:

"It was one of those things that I was like, 'Hey, listen if they're looking for an AJ Styles, I would be happy to give it a shot'. 

I was willing to go down to NXT for a couple of months to get my feet wet and then get to a main brand like a Raw or SmackDown. I had no idea what was going to happen. There was talk of, 'Hey, I don't know if we can keep your name'. I said, 'Well, that's fine, I'll be whoever you want me to be but I have this huge tattoo on my side that says AJ, but you can call me whatever you want'. 

Listen, I was worried about this southern accent that I can't shake, that Vince was going to make me wear overalls and come out to a little country song or something with a banjo. I was more worried about that". 

There's still time, AJ. There's still time.

5. Ahmed Johnson - WWE Champion?

WWE.com

Ahmed Johnson made WWE history by becoming the first African-American Intercontinental Champion but, according to the Pearl River Powerhouse, he could have went one step further, had some original plans come off.

Speaking with Lucha Libre Online, Johnson told host Morales Torres that, at one time, he was pencilled-in to beat The Undertaker for the WWE Title.

"Yes, I was going to win the title (WWF World Championship), until I got injured. But it's true that I was scheduled to win the title against The Undertaker. Things didn't fold out. And at end, it is what it is.

The Undertaker, he can't be matched. As far as his movements, and the way he performed in the ring. Nobody better than him".

Johnson is likely referring to his scheduled WWE Title match with The Phenom at In Your House: Canadian Stampede. He got injured in the buildup, however, and was replaced by Vader.

'Taker retained on the night but ended up dropping the strap a month later, at SummerSlam, to Bret Hart.

4. Comeback's On?

WWE.com

CM Punk's post-WWE foray into the world of MMA via UFC has led to much mockery after the Straight-Edge Superstar suffered two decisive losses and looked well out of his depth, but a return to the Octagon could be on the cards yet.

Because Punk now only has one defeat to his name after his loss to Mike Johnson was overturned due to his opponent's subsequent positive marijuana test.

The website MMA Junkie found out about the decision thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Punk's record now reads as one loss and one 'no contest'.

So, will Dana White be calling the former WWE Champion up for a new fight anytime soon?

Highly doubtful, but Punk will continue to be involved in the MMA world as a commentator for Cage Fury Fighting Championships.

3. Thanks For The Great Storyline, Brother (Love)

WWE.com

Last week on Ten Things, we looked at Diamond Dallas Page saying he wished that, in retrospect, he would have turned down the 'stalker of Undertaker's wife' storyline.

He was eventually convinced to partake in it by Vince and Shane McMahon, but it wasn't them who came up with the idea.

In actual fact, it was Bruce Prichard, as revealed during a recent episode of the Something to Wrestle With podcast.

Big Brucey P thought the idea was a winner, but even he admitted that it turned out to be a dud:

"I did. I thought it was a completely great idea. In hindsight, it was f*cking horrible and not one of the stellar moments. Looking at different ways and different things – I'm a big true crime aficionado, and I like to read about different things and creepy shit like that. Stalkers are creepy. When you read about some of the things stalkers would do and how they would stalk their prey – there's a great book I would recommend get, it's called The Last Victim. 

It was written by a guy who wanted to be an FBI profiler, and he would write letters to convicted serial killers in the character that he thought they would respond to and the type of people he would think they would be attracted to. I just study that kind of stuff and enjoy it. 

The stalker gimmick was a creepy thing where we had seen Taker's wife and you were really going to get to someone – that someone is in your home and they're there and have evidence of being in your home. That's a sick, creepy feeling that they were right there and you didn't know it. That was the idea behind it. 

I don't know that we did the best job portraying that, obviously not in hindsight. It didn't work by any stretch of the imagination. I don't know if it was the talent involved or the story or the idea in general. That one was a flop. That was all mine".

2. Hollywood Steve Austin

WWE Network

Kevin Nash will be the latest guest on Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions, this Sunday on the WWE Network.

It's sure to be a great watch, as all of the previous interviews have been. Big Sexy, never one to shy away from giving his opinion, will no double be great value.

Promoting the special, the Texas Rattlesnake cut a promo as 'Hollywood' Steve Austin in the style of the old New World Order paid-for vignettes.

It's not quite on the level of Austin's furious promo parody of Hogan from his brief spell in ECW, but I'll take it.

1. Dirty Dutch & The Deadman Meet The Kentucky State Troopers

WWE.com

And we finish off this week with a story from Dirty Dutch Mantell, who shared the tale of him and The Undertaker (during the Deadman's early dues-paying days in Memphis) getting pulled over by the Kentucky police and almost being sent to the slammer due to a case of mistaken identity.

Speaking on Smack Talk, the former Zeb Colter said:

"We were coming back, we'd wrestled in Louisville, Kentucky. We were driving back to Nashville, it's about 160 miles, and we were driving down the road, we had another guy in the car with us. All of a sudden, we were almost to the Tennessee line and the lights come on. Kentucky trooper pulled us over. 'Taker was driving, I said, 'Are you speeding?', and he said, 'No!'. So when he pulled us over, we moved over to the side and the spotlight comes on.

You don't usually expect that, and then on the loudspeaker, he said, 'Driver of the vehicle, with your left hand reach over pull the key out of the ignition and drop them on the pavement!'. So he ('Taker) did and then he said, 'Driver of the vehicle, exit the vehicle with your back facing this way and walk backwards', and I went, 'What the hell! This is not like any traffic stop! What are they looking for?', and I look back and there is Mark walking back and there is the cop on his knees with a gun and he was aiming it at Mark".

According to Mantell, city and state cops then handcuffed them before they took apart their car looking for something.

Weeks later, Mantell found out that they had been flagged as being potentially involved in a drug run and that the police officers were looking for a gun in the vehicle.

Wrestlers involved with drugs? Don't be ridiculous.