ERIC BISCHOFF REACTS TO SID EUDY'S UNTIMELY PASSING

hey hey it's Conrad Thompson and welcome to 83 weeks.com we have some breaking news and this is not something we normally do but in this particular case I think it's warranted today we'll be trying to pay tribute and remember the late great Sid whether you knew Miss Sid Vicious or psycho Sid real life Sid yudy unfortunately passed away and I don't think a lot of people had this uh I mean he's only 63 years old when he passed away Eric that's just awfully young like this is not the outcome I would have hoped for by any stretch of the imagination just 63 years my goodness yeah it's I was really I don't want to say heartbroken because that you know paints a different picture I wasn't real close to Sid we weren't good friends we didn't exchange texts and phone calls and things like that but man I really like Sid and I had nothing nothing but great interactions with him on every level whether it was negotiating his deal creative issues were always easy with Sid because he was The Ultimate Team player and to your point about being so unexpected and him being so young I I saw Sid I think about two plus two years ago maybe maybe a little longer at a convention and just he looked great he was happy and then you know to realize yesterday that he was gone it's just it's hard to wrap my head around because you know you you remember people the way you saw them last and what I saw last was a healthy happy engaging man that just loved what he was doing it's really sad it really is sad we uh we've heard from a lot of wrestling luminaries about what Sid meant to them and we're going to share some of those because you know listen I'm sure we're all going to do tribute episodes and talk about his career and and what happened in the ring and our favorite Sid matches and certainly our favorite Sid interviews and I'm going to share some of those personally today but you know at the end of the day it's that old cliche you know it's not what you say it's not what you did it's how you made people feel and boy he sure did leave an impact in a big way and there were some controversies along the way uh but you know and I know like when I was doing a podcast with Arn Anderson you know we got that question all the time about his circumstance with Sid but man that was so long ago those guys had you know let bygones be bygones and but nothing but class acts and gentlemen and respectful for decades but in this sort of Niche if you will as you like to say Eric sometimes the negativity is what people are looking for they want the dirt as somebody might say and I just think Sid was and I've called him this on the show before he was one of my guilty pleasure favorites as a kid like you know the newsletters and those types you just ethered him they just did not care for his performance or Persona or presentation but as a little kid man that was what a wrestler was supposed to be this huge imposing menacing looking figure nearly 7 feet tall over 300 lb you know with piercing blue eyes and pumpkins on his shoulders and what looked like a perm but you better not say a perm to that dude I mean what a look that Sid had I mean when you go back and watch some of his stuff I could see him battling RoboCop I could see him as the top henchman for a villain in a movie I mean he had a Hollywood look did he not Eric I don't think you could have ai artificial intell intelligence couldn't create a character visually more compelling than Sid he you're right man he was like right out of Central casting for a superhero like if you were gonna create a video game a combat video game you're gonna look at Sid and go all right I may not be able to get the rights of that character but I want somebody that looks just like him he's just he was something else man he was a he was a very special human being in that regard yeah he could have been you know an opponent in Mike Tyson's punch out I could have seen him being the matter of fact maybe he was like our real life version of Ivan Drago that Rocky for character to life not the Russian angle but just this giant imposing unbeatable monster he was that and what I loved about it and especially in hindsight is it does feel like his life that we didn't all know much about like not his public life but his private life we've just been flooded on our timelines with more recent pictures of a much different looking human being with those grandkids and I I saw that yesterday is that great I just love that we get to see that version of Sid not the menacing character but Granddad yeah I that brought it to to my eye that one that one hit home and and that's what I mean I mean that's the look on Sid's face in that picture is the same look you know that I saw last and and that was at a convention when he's surrounded by people and you're signing autographs and I I don't mean to make that sound like it's work necessarily but it takes a lot out of you because you want to be engaging you want to like people come up for an autograph they don't really care about your autograph no but sometimes if they're card collectors or memorabilia collectors that's a little bit different but I would say 80 75% 80% of the people that approach me at least at conventions or forign autograph they don't really care about the autograph what they're willing to pay for what they're hoping to get is IE contact in a conversation yeah they want to feel like they had a chance to get to know you on a one-on-one personal level and I love that but it is draining and you almost have have to kind of remind yourself that the 75th person in line or the 100th person in line if you're so lucky sometimes I'm not but Sid was um much bigger character um but those people that are less in line have the same hopes um as the first person in line so you gota you've got to you've got to work at staying engaging because it's really easy by the third or fourth hour sitting in Arena surrounded by people in noise and sensory overload and fake lights and blah blah blah shitty food it's really easy to get grumpy if you let yourself and that was never said man he was always smiling he was always engaged always having fun and that's kind of how I judge people not judge them but that's how I I noticed that I I I I pay attention to people who are genuinely engaging with fans and he certainly was one of my favorite follows on Twitter is uh Andrew Dice Clay and he posted a picture of Sid with his grandkids and a recliner and he wrote Sid may have passed but unlike many of his peers he made it home and saw his family grow this was posted on his Facebook page recently Sydney with his grandkids he didn't pass away in a hotel room thousands of miles from home he went out surrounded by his family and I got to tell you I never really considered that you know to a lot of us fans we just sort of at times forget we have a tendency to forget hey these are real people they're not they're not just the television character and Persona that you see on the screen and we've all heard that tale of you know living in the fast lane maybe too long in the professional wrestling business in the touring business just in the entertainment business and I know that over the years you know Sid took a little bit of flack for you know well softball this or that and and I know Jr said maybe at times he wasn't as Dependable but this is a guy I want to remind everybody who has not one but two WrestleMania Main Events under his belt that's two more than Ric Flair he M evented WrestleMania against Hulk Hogan he ran invented WrestleMania against the Undertaker wow I mean these are major Milestones but you know what when everybody was riding LOL softball was it really family did he really come off the road just to go play softball or was that his version of the old Terry Funk my horse is sick he wanted to get home he wanted to be with his family The more I've learned about s just in the last few days the more I'm convinced that softball was really family and I've heard through a family friend that he had been suffering with brain cancer for years but he kept it quiet I mean I had friends who just saw him earlier this month and had no idea the more I learn about Sid the more respect and appreciation I have for Sid not just the character but the human being and we've gathered together some tweets today from some wrestling luminaries to short sort of share their thoughts I think we all got the news from his son gunar who wrote in memory of my father said yudy dear friends and family I'm deeply saddened to share that my father Sid yudy has passed away after battling cancer for several years he was a man of strength kindness and love and his presence will be greatly missed we appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we grieve this loss details for memorial service will be shared soon thank you for your support it's directly from his son and one of the biggest names in the history of wrestling certainly in Sid's era was Ric Flair and uh well they had had their ups and downs he wrote this so sorry to hear the passing of Sid justice for all of you out there that have known that we haven't gotten along in business the last time I saw him we hugged he called me champ and I said thank you he has a beautiful family his family should know that he was much more than a softball player a man period rest in peace Jake Roberts took to the internet as well he says I'm shocked and saddened to learn that Sid yudy passed away today what an incredible look and presence he certainly left his mark on our business I send my prayers and best wishes to his family rest in peace Sid Booker T was inspired as well he wrote without Sid Vicious I don't think my brother and I would have made it to WCW his impact on this business was undeniable and he paved the way for so many of us my deepest condolences to his family during this difficult time I want to take a time out right there there Eric from some of these different tribute posts that we saw but I've heard that story from multiple people that Sid was a big advocate for Harlem heat and others and I don't think that side of Sid gets shown enough he was constantly pushing for his friends and encouraging them and and and hoping that you know they achieve some of their dreams and successes I don't think that sign of Sid or that that side of Sid has been made public very often what can you tell us about Sid as an advocate for his peers you know I've heard this story about what Sid did for Harlem heat I wasn't a part of it and I would butcher the story if I tried to recap it here but it's out there and I don't know if it was in if Bookers got a book or if I saw it in an interview but I think I recall Booker saying and again I could be wrong so if I am my intention at least dishonorable but if I remember correctly Sid let Harlem heat stay with him and his apartment for a while during that transition this is a good human being this is a good guy and I and again you know my interaction with Sid is really kind of uh comes in two chapters really but um at that period of time when Sid was his manager was uh Colonel Rob Parker right said was was a part of that that I wasn't involved in any of the creative decisions negotiations I wouldn't have been aware of what Sid was attempting to do for Harlem heat because I wasn't involved but he and we've just heard a similar story with PCO and same thing you know when a post yesterday he was just he was a supportive guy he was a team player I want to go back to what you know you brought up softball and I had a Time to think about that last night knowing we were going to do this looking back this is a guy that had his priorities straight I know there's gonna be people out oh I can't believe you're in softball over priories but you hit it right on the head Conrad it wasn't about softball it's about his community and his family and when I flew and I know I'm not answering your question about advocating for other people but I just didn't have a lot of experience with that because of timing but when I flew to meet said for the very first time to bring him in when I was in charge um I at the time I had my own plane so I flew myself to the little town he lived in in Mississippi and I didn't know what to expect I'd heard all the stories all the dirt sheet [ __ ] from guys like Dave Meltzer so I went into the meeting with I was I was cautious I was reserved I I didn't know what to expect man Humble Home humble guy small town that's what he loved and his family obviously and I kind of admire someone especially at a young age especially when people are dangling buckets and buckets and buckets of money in front of you when you're a small town guy from Mississippi who's you know happy driv a 20-y old car as long as it works that was Sid he was he didn't live above his means he the money was I guess important to him but it's clear to me now especially in retrospect as you just pointed out his life his family his community was far more important than perhaps another opportunity to wrestle in a WrestleMania main event or in a WCW main event he had his priorities straight they pretty uncommon in this business and I understand that you know it's hard for people to wrap their head around the idea that someone like Sid would jeopardize hundreds of thousands of dollars because being with his family and being in this community and be a part of it was actually more important to him I I admire that I don't know how you couldn't you mentioned PCO I want to share that tweet he posted rest in peace Big Brother Sydney yudy no it's impossible we were always together and having fun always he came to my gym my house he knew everything member of my family I spent months with him at his house and with his family my sympathies to Sid's wife Sabrina and his sons Frankie and gunar I just think it's cool like think about that like the idea that he knew every member of the family's name not surprising I don't know PCL but that I do know S I did know Sid a little bit just a little bit doesn't surprise me a bit Diamond Dallas pige he chimed in as well he wrote wow I'm so sorry to hear that Sid yudy has passed on Sid had such a presence when Sid Vicious stepped through the curtain you knew you were looking at someone special he had it all and he looked as impressive as anyone to ever enter the squared Circle I had no idea he was fighting a battle with cancer my deepest sympathies go out to his family rest in peace Brother mck Foley chimed in as well he said he just heard about Sid yudy he talked about the good times working in the Memphis territory Back in 88 all those long drives he says I remember Shane Douglas telling me about Sid's tryy out match in WCW and how within minutes in the ring lead Booker Ric Flair turned to members of the booking committee and said he's got it making Sid one of the quickest signings in the company I'm sending my very best wishes and prayers to the family and all those who loved him sting chimed in as well a classic opponent I think we all think about Sid and sting and sting says one of the most believable big men ever I loved working with Sid and I'll miss him Ted D biasi mentioned that he's going to pray for Sid and his family Mark Meo chimed in as well he was one of the first wrestlers I ever wrestled when I was trying out for WCW what a great guy my heart and thoughts and prayers go out to his family friends and his millions of fans and millions of fans is Right Eric I I I heard heard from people that aren't wrestling fans that I didn't even I mean I would never imagine I would hear from them but I did people I haven't heard from him in years saying hey is this real hey is this true like our local NBC affiliate in Huntsville posted it as breaking news I mean it was he left a much bigger impact because of the timing of when you know his star rose and his unique presence and his unique character and just the whole presentation he made an impact and and and I think a lot of people would have thought you know well that that's Reserve that sort of reaction is reserved for the Hulk Hogans or the Ric flares or the Randy Savages but man if you saw Sid you never forgot it did you Eric no and it's you know a lot of the comments that I've seen from fans Not people that have worked with Sid knew him personally but from fans who were who watched him in in in WF as well as WCW and all of them kind of consistently go back to man the first time I saw him I F in the blank yes so much consistency there because as you pointed out right in the very beginning man he looked like he was right out of a out of a video game just unbelievable and he did leave a big impression and you know you wonder what would have happened if Sid wasn't so content to live in a little town of Mississippi and and and spend time with his family and friends as opposed to what some of us do including myself which is go out there and you know keep making money with that brand and keep pushing keep engaging and and Sid did some of that but I think he was very comfortable in his retirement some people go into that stage of their career and it has nothing to do with your age you know when you're a performer particularly in professional wrestling retirement can be 30 retirement can be 35 if you're hugely successful you made a lot of money and just decideed you want to go live a quiet life on an island somewhere you can do that or an injury will take you out of the game any number of things could but so is and a lot of times I've seen unfortunately so many people who their life in the ring and their life in the business becomes more important than anything else kind of going back to what I was saying about softball and hit and that's fine when you're in it but when that day comes for whatever reason whether it's voluntary or involuntary and that part of your life that you've spent so much time focusing on and the Adoration the reactions from the crowds that's all addictive that's why people perform that's why the Rolling Stones still perform that's why Stevie Nicks is still out there it's not the money it's the addiction to to the energy that you get from that crowd and I think C is one of the fortunate few who when that time came for him put a smile on his face and embraced whatever was next as opposed to hanging on being bitter being angry talking about what he didn't get what he should have gotten and all you hear so much of that so when someone like said when we lose somebody like Sid who just embraced life and was grateful for the opportunities that he had didn't carry any baggage around with him wasn't you know wasn't negative in any way it it makes it even harder not that you know you want anybody to have to go through what what Sid went through obviously but he was a special guy and when you lose someone special like Sid you you take notice I think he was uh actually build as being from West Memphis Arkansas which is directly over the river from Memphis Tennessee but that's right like h skipping a jump as we say I think I flew I think I landed in Mississippi no that's what I'm saying is Tennessee Mississippi and Arkansas where they all kind of get together that's where Sid was from I think he passed away in Marian but West Memphis is I think the actual official Hometown um but what's interesting to me maybe not interesting as a kid I'll never forget it I was so intimidated by Sid and loved his presentation and Gary Michael capetta man it's one of my favorite things as a kid you can you can still hear him do this call if you find the right tapes but he would introduce s and he would say something along the lines of you know standing 6 foot n weighing 310 pounds and think about it in Gary Michael capa's voice and Cadence from anywhere he damn well pleases S I mean wow from anywhere he damn well pleases so whether it's Mississippi it's Arkansas it's Tennessee it's Sid and how unique is it too with a guy who I mean if you just Google Sid Vicious you're going to find a musician you have to type in Sid Vicious wrestler of course WWF would change it to Sid justice but really in in wrestling circles you don't need a second name he was such a big star there's only one Sid and if there is another wrestler who comes along who's calling themselves Sid there's still only going to be one Sid it's like that name belongs to Mr yudy wouldn't you agree absolutely absolutely he he definitely left his Mark and you know when you talk about you know Gary capetta talking about how big he was and intimidating he was and the presence that he brought to the ring is was 180 degrees from who said yudi really was he he was the embodiment of the gentle giant he wasn't a bully he could have been easily and I know all the [ __ ] stories and all the diry nonsense and I'm not even going to get into any of that but that whatever you read or whatever you've read when when it comes to Sid some of the wrestling publications of the time just toss it in the garbage it's not real the guy Sid was a gentle giant he was fun I don't I mean I'm sure I noticed him backstage at points when he wasn't smiling but I don't remember those I remember him always with a smile on his face joking around you know engaging with other Talent he was just he was a was different cat man and he he wasn't into in real life which I think is a testimony to his character on television he was the exact opposite of the character that you saw he was just a sweet gentle humble very humble guy I don't think when Sid looked in the mirror he saw 6' n or 300 lounds I just don't think he saw that he didn't see what others saw and he carried himself accordingly can't say enough about his personality the rumor in inuendo is he has a chance encounter with Randy Savage and his brother ly pafo that leads to Tojo Yamamoto becoming his trainer down in the Memphis area one of the last great names that Tojo would have helped train and he worked his way through the territories I remember as a kid hearing about Lord humongous yeah working continental and a few other obviously Memphis but I mean there were little spot shows all over the South that dotted Alabama and Mississippi and Tennessee and he's coming out in a hockey mask like a horror movie guy and before you know it he's in WCW I mean I think he debuted in WCW like less than two years after he first started training and trying to become a wrestler and as a matter of fact it was 89 Eric so 35 years ago this year Sid became a national fixture in television wrestling but fast forward just a handful of years and boy he's on the fast track not just in WCW challenging sting but later Shawn Michaels in the WWF famously he was The Bodyguard and he helped Sid sort of or he helped Shawn move up to the main event if you will feuded with diesel but when for whatever reason it didn't work out with Vader and Shawn Shawn called an audible Sean wanted to work with Sid instead and Shawn took to Twitter and a post sadden to learn of the passing of Sid YY an unforgettable presence and it can't be overstated how big of a role he played in creating the Heartbreak Kid his work Legacy and influence will inspire our business for generations to come that's that's a powerful quote right there and the the part that I really dig is where're Shan is given credit for helping to create the Heartbreak Kid and sometimes we forget that you know yes a dance there's two people in that in that dance yes and each of their jobs are to make the the other look as good as possible and for Shawn Michaels his stature what he's achieved to acknowledge that powerful powerful appreciate that I'm sure the family does too I'm such a fan of that Feud I mean I have to admit I wasn't watching wrestling when it happened in '95 but when came back to it in 96 on the heels of SummerSlam 96 where it was Vader and Shawn it was supposed to be a Trilogy that would include Survivor series and then culminate in San Antonio in Sean's Hometown Sean wasn't happy with Vader and the way those matches were going he wanted Sid and the result was something that wasn't even supposed to happen this is after he had main evented with Hulk Hogan and maybe it didn't go according to plan and maybe he wasn't as reliable and maybe there were Challen es and maybe he went to WCW and there was a horrible incident overseas and so there's a lot of baggage here for Sid and it feels like a risk Sean wanted Sid and the result is Survivor Series 96 I challenge anybody to go watch that main event and tell me Sid wasn't an incredible performer this is at the height of sha in his title run his baby face Persona he is the face that runs the place in the WWF but Sid came came to the ring that night in Madison Square Garden fist bumping fans with the Pyro burning behind him Sid and perhaps Jr freestyled the Fantastic line as we see it emblazened in the pyrot Technics Sid suddenly I'm dominant s won the world title that night and was very believable and then the next month got a pinfall win over Bret Hart in a time where nobody predicted it it was a pay-per-view named after and SIDS in that spot for in your house it's time and he delivered but then the biggest show that the company had ran in a long long time yeah we had to have a Babyface hero the hometown hero Shawn Michaels and San Antonio at the Alamo Dome we got to find a way to get 50 60 maybe 70,000 people in here that's a tall ask for a tall man but boy Sid delivered and I posted it to Twitter earlier this week maybe we'll throw a link in the description for the show on YouTube but the promo that Sid cut in An Empty Arena an empty Alamo Dome standing in the ring hours before doors open for fans and you hear his voice echoing and he would go from the 80s yelling like this Eric to the whisper that he was the master and the you hung on every word exactly and I know there's been so many people who've had their fun with Sid about hey he did that one promo in the WWF he started it and then looked at J.R and said hey let's just start over I can do that better and J.R said we're live pal and people thought that was a dunk hey I say that means he took it seriously he wanted to do better he knew he could do better I'm not gonna say he was a perfectionist but he's like no no hey we can do better I want I want this to be good go back and watch that live promo from a live edition of a morning Superstars and actually as they're going out you can hear Kevin dun giving the countdown I sit staring at the camera you can hear five four it's live Sid was an incredible promo he understood the little things about wrestling that make it great Eric like I'll never forget as a kid understanding and responding and became pavlovian when Sid would get in the ring and he would turn his head like he wanted to see a reaction from over there and he would get one like with just a little thing a turn to the head I just thought all the little stuff he did getting down on one knee and calling him in all of those little things made Sid feel like a much bigger star I was just so impressed with his performance and I'm glad that we're all giving him his flowers I wish maybe it would have happened a little sooner I'm still surprised that it hasn't happened yet but Sid's got to go in the WWE Hall of Fame next year right don't you agree I I I certainly hope so I mean from a credential point of view you you've run down his high points that I think those alone would make him worthy of of being in a hall of fame um but the impression the Legacy certainly all you need to do is take a look at social media look at the responses you're getting I've seen so many Clips over the last 24 hours or 18 hours of Cid in the ring both in WWE and and in WCW man he deserves so much more credit than he got and and what you just described I'm going to go back and look for That interview to be honest with you I want to see that um but you point it out he did all the little things right as you've heard me say a million times or a hundred maybe okay a dozen great television a great character especially a great character is the Perfection of a lot of little details it's not the big things it's the little things in aggregate that make a great story or make a great character and for Sid to have the instinct to do some of the things that I'm visualizing as you're describing them that all just comes that's just Instinct that's just that unique ability that Charisma it's part of that you know Charisma isn't intangible right you can't pick it up can't put on a scale and weigh it can't put it in a bottle can't put in the Box a package can't teach it in a class either God gave you that or he didn't and and Sid had that so what he may have lacked in some respects he tripled in in the fact that he had a great Instinct the thing that you said we look his head this way and look that's kind of like H cing Cup in the year man shouldn't matter all that much but it does and and I love that I love hearing that I'm gonna go back and look for that I'm I'm GNA make sure that we get the links in the description I tweeted out that promo because I just absolutely love it and and I would challenge you Eric I know you weren't consuming it at the time you were busy running WCW but go watch that uh Survivor series 1996 that main event his entrance and just the way the crowd is with him I mean it it was something else and of course you know it culminated at the Alamo Dome but that wasn't it for him and again I I think this gets lost on people but Hulk Hogan needed a credible opponent for what might be his retirement match at WrestleMania 8 let's call Sid well we got to have somebody who can make our young upstart our new Babyface Superstar and the the old trying to fill the shoes of Ric Flair who can make sting look good at our big pay-per-view Halloween Havoc who's a believable credible threat that can really help bolster sting in the eyes of the fans well let's call Sid we did that same thing with Shawn Michaels and then when disaster struck Shan somehow lost his smile and now we've got a whole shakeup WrestleMania 13 is in Jeopardy we're not getting the Shawn Michaels Bret Hart REM match what do we do well let's call Sid we got the belt on Sid he dropped it to the Undertaker because the Undertaker needed a credible opponent who would be worthy of challenging or defending or crowning The Undertaker so whether it was the Undertaker or it was Sting or it was Shawn Michaels or it was Hulk Hogan the common denominator Sid and I think because he didn't police The Narrative and he wasn't Super Active on social and he didn't do a thousand shooter interviews and write 14 books and he didn't do a podcast and he did occasional appearances here and there family was priority and his work was what it was and I hope now that he's no longer with us we pay a little more attention to the little things Triple H is the top of the mountain these days and he took to social media to write about Sid as well as a two-time WWE Champion the master and the ruler of the world few performers in the history of our business have had the look intensity and ability to connect with the audience quite like Sid my thoughts are with Sid's family friends and fans Sean Waltman was the measuring stick for a long time and he says Sid was my first Odd Couple tag partner before Kane I love teaming with him he was always really good to me Kevin Nash ched in on social as well he wrote on Instagram I made my first road trip with Sid and laugh the entire trip he ran off my first tag team partner in five days one of the greatest physical looks the wrestling world has ever seen the longer you knew him the easier it was to see he was just a sweetheart of a guy and someone who never missed a workout I'll miss you big man especially that laugh and smile love that love that Nick Aldis who of course is a big- time part of what WWE is doing on television these days wrote I was such a mark for Sid when I was a kid he was a cartoon character in real life and he represents an era in my fandom that I always have great effect ction for to this day when I think of Sid I always turn into a 10-year-old kid again and say Sid was awesome I don't care what anyone says Vince Russo took to social as well and he says always so good to me so underrated one of the best promo guys that nobody ever talks about God bless you my friend Brian hner chimed in as well and said so sad to hear about the news of Sid yudy he was a wrestler that made me want to watch a larger than life man do what he did best that was to entertain me which he did on so many levels I met him as a kid and I was so scared I gosh he was such a super nice man Matt Cardona the Indie God chimed in and said Survivor Series 96 I walked into Madison Square Garden with a zebra Shawn Michaels bar uh biker hat on I took the hat off my head and threw it to the ground I dropped to my knee and did the psycho Sid pose when Sid won the title rest in peace Sid that's awesome awesome Joe Hendry got a little buzz right now says Sid reignited my passion for wrestling and as the reason I dyed my hair blind and changed my move set I'm sad I never got to thank him in person for influencing me so much one of the greats man you want to talk about a legacy when you've got young performers saying hey I took the other guy's hat off and mimicked him and I dyed my hair and changed my moves because of him and then see guys like Sting and Shawn Michaels saying and you help make me me what an incredible Legacy that's two generations right there I mean Joe Henry is you know he's right on the edge of of breaking through and one of the more Dynamic and exciting and interesting new characters that come along in a while so and he was he's doing what he's doing today in in some part he would be the judge because of the influence that Sid had on him and I that's the Legacy when you leave that much of an impression on two generations of professionals that's the Legacy you want good for good for Sid and thanks so much for all the people that posted great stuff I really hope that folks will go uh enjoy a little bit of Sid today I want to recommend that you watch Halloween Havoc 1990 it's a big WCW Main Event it's a big opportunity for him he challenging sting and uh what a presentation it was I've got to go back I don't mean to interrupt you but I just realized I took a Power Bomb from Sid yeah I gotta go back and see that I remember that now I have never other than Paul White the giant I have never been so high in the air other than what I'm on a plane as I was in that ring that was weird being up CU he brought me straight up I just remembered that that's I got to go find that you know that's what's great is there's so much to uncover with Sid like you know I know there's there's controversies and there's funny you know moments like we talked about you know where he said hey let's start that over well in WCW of course he's riffing famously with Kevin Nash and he said something like that's why I'm twice the man that you are but I've got half the brain that you do maybe he didn't mean to say it like that but it was still awesome in the way when it was silly but he had to sell it you know Goldberg had crushed his car and he's going to jump up and down on a pile of flattened out metal I curse you I mean it's just silly but as a kid man he was so intimidating even if it was silly I know you weren't watching back then Eric but he destroyed the barber shop set on the WWF show Superstars and that was the interview set like Piper pit but this one was for Brutus The Barber Beefcake after he had the parasailing accident and in the process of destroy destroying it a bottle of shaving cream like barbasol exploded and just covered Sid he's in the middle of the promo he's already destroyed the set there's no take two here the set's destroyed so he looks at the camera with barbarasa all over his face exploded and kept talking screaming crazy it was unbelievable and then of course there's other funny silly stuff I me you and I just recently talked about the shockmaster Sid's on the set for all that like Sid was a part of so many of your favorite wrestling moments and maybe some of the more gruesome ones I think what we never h to talk about again boy that leg injury at the end of WCW when he comes off the top with a kick and tries to land on one foot and I mean it looked like his damn ankle touched his knee that was brutal I I remember sitting back I very rarely would be in what is referred to as the gorilla position we didn't call it that really in WCW but that that staging area backstage where everybody's watching on the moners Jerry Taylor was there and Kevin Sullivan and number of other people jie angle was sitting right next to me I saw that happen and I I don't get queasy easily when it comes to my own [ __ ] like you know I break a bone or something you know needs stitched up or whatever if it's mine if it's me I I don't really react that much but seeing somebody else like I can't watch this is how bad I am like if we're watching a TV series and it involves surgery and they always do these closeup super realistic shots where're digging around on somebody's chest I can't watch that [ __ ] I turn away to this day my wife laughs at me all the time and then she tells me when I can look again because she knows I just hate seeing it well you can imagine how I felt sitting in front of that monitor and seeing Sid break his legs in such a you know Joe thyman kind of brutal televised fashion it was I still don't want to see it like I'm sure we're going to replay it at some point I ain't gonna watch it but you know what he didn't [ __ ] about it you know what was it a [ __ ] about but he he it's like okay broke my leg got to get better just again his attitude his positive attitude you know really showed after that but man that turned my stomach watching that live and it's one of those things where you can't help but Wonder Hey what could have been you know if he wouldn't have had that injury and after WCW goes under a lot of talent went back to the WWF Hulk Hogan Kevin Nash Scott Hall Sean Walt I mean so many of those stars and of course WCW greats like DDP and Booker T but Sid certainly would have been figured in and made a big part and I think that injury probably changed the trajectory of what was possible there but man what could have been you know there's a famous story I don't know if you've heard this and I don't know if it's even really true but it's certainly been repeated enough that when it looked like Sid was GNA or rather Hulk Hogan was going to start winding it down he's going to step away from in ring action and maybe focus more on Hollywood or television Vince is looking for his next big star and the formula well it was already established we need a really tall really muscular blond haired blue-eyed monster maybe with interesting hair Sid checked all of those boxes and allegedly he sat Sid down and laid out the vision I want you to be my next Hulk Hogan and as The Story Goes and who knows if this is really true Sid said I'd rather be a baby F I'd rather be a heel the idea that you're given I mean at that time listen whatever you think of Hulk Hogan today table that for a minute in in the early 90s everyone in wrestling aspired to be Hulk Hogan he had achieved success far beyond what anyone was even imagining was possible professional can I interrupt you right there just to help you put this into context we look today at the Rock the highest paid Entertainer in Hollywood and you see John Cena everywhere feature films commercials WWE he's everywhere Dave Batista hugely successful in the film business we look at that now and go okay yeah well that's you know it's not unusual that happens sometimes people make it break through into you know Big Time mainstream that never happened before Hulk Hogan when Hulk Hogan made the cover of Sports Illustrated when Hulk Hogan was on Johnny Carson when Hulk Hogan did all of the things in WWE early on that Hulk Hogan did those things had never been done before kind of like rock becoming the highest paid actor in Hollywood right and and I only say all that to put into context your your recap of that alleged conversation where Sid went I don't think so that that's really kind of amazing but it also is a reflection of the guy who was true to himself he was being honest whereas a lot of people may have been going [ __ ] I don't want to do that but okay Vince I'm in and even though they're committing they're not really committing and said whether he thought through that or not or it was his personality and Instinct taking over and he went I know everybody else wants that but I'm I'm pretty cool right where I'm at thanks Vin want to go work out who does that allegedly uh Evan polisher who helps us aot with AdFree shows.com he told me that uh because he Once Upon a Time helped Shawn Mooney with Shawn's podcast we think the world is Shan such a talented guy doing news out west I don't know what he wants public or not but just a awesome human but allegedly when he interviewed Sid they discussed WrestleMania against Hogan and Sid may or may not have said something like I didn't even know it was WrestleMania until I walked to the ring and saw the banners hanging the idea being this is just a job I'm going to get I'm going to do it I'm gonna make as much money as I can and I'm gonna get home to my family and I think that the narrative on said because he wasn't really a public person and out here policing it and and changing and shaping The Narrative if you will man I hope people when they start talking about softball again they recognize what that really meant I'm going to go home and be with my family yes and I think if there is a way to honor and memorialize Sid the best today yeah let's go watch Halloween Havoc 1990 certainly let's watch Survivor Series 96 why don't we call mom and dad today why don't we take those kids to lunch why don't we go get ice cream with the grandkids that's what's really important and it turns out maybe Sid did have it figured out he was the master and the ruler of the world we just weren't really listening we were hearing him but we weren't really listening family's important and I was really excited to see WWE pay tribute to Sid and they did that had a little package on Monday night and Bronson Reed squashed a guy on a car maybe that makes me think a sid I hope somebody shows up on aw this week wearing a body glove elbow sleeve all in honor of Sid I mean you think about it too man like for most of his career plain black trunks plain black boots he didn't need any gimmics he was the deal he was the man any final thoughts or words you want to share with us today about Sid Eric you said it perfectly he didn't need any gimmicks he was just the real guy he was Sid he was Sid yudy in the ring and happen to make a lot of money doing it and prioritized his family that's awesome much respect much respect what a legacy one of my favorites as a kid I showed my wife that promo from uh the Alamo Dome and she said people didn't think that was good that was great it was Sid was great let's go watch some of those classic memories and moments and we want to see in your comments drop us a comment below what are some of your favorite Sid moments whether it was a Monday Night Raw or a Nitro or a pay-per-view or a pro promo on Superstars tell us about the first time you saw Sid share some of your favorite memories of seeing Sid or maybe even better yet did you ever get to meet Sid some of my friends sent me some great photos I've got a buddy in Arkansas who didn't live too terribly far from where Sid was and they had a great photo from when he was in the news world and he's choking him you know it's it's the oh he's about to choke slamy thing and if you didn't know any better you take a look at that photo and say is he a pro wrestler is that an MMA fighter or is that just a villain from Superman because he could have been any of those things what an incredible Legacy he leaves behind and uh I'm so proud we got to see what we got to see of him and our thoughts and prayers certainly go to his wife and two sons he leaves behind what a legacy rest in peace said Thanks for the Memories