If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
** While guest appearing on The Masked Man Show, Senior Vice President at Seven Bucks Productions, Brian Gewirtz, looked back on the program in WWE between John Cena and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. He recounted Cena not telling anyone about the ‘I Bring it via Satellite’ shirt that he made. When Cena got to the backstage area, he tossed the shirt at Gewirtz.
During the whole Rock-Cena deal where Cena came out and did not tell me or really anyone that he had made up a ‘I Bring It via Satellite’ t-shirt that he unveiled live on the air and then was nice enough to roll it into a ball and just fling it in my face as hard as he could when he got back through the curtain while I’m sitting there on headset. But that was kind of like the, hey, we’re in a war/shoot/whatever. You gotta do what you gotta do to stay alive…
Gewirtz released a book in 2022 about his time as a writer in WWE. He thought if there was any story that would get him in trouble, it would be the story about his falling out with Vince McMahon. Gewirtz ended up running into McMahon and said there was no mention of the story he shared.
I don’t think I got into any trouble with any of the stories in there (in my book). I was afraid that — when I had my little falling out with Vince (McMahon) before we came back around again and it was very personal, it was a one-on-one conversation with me and him. I had never really disclosed it in any podcast or talked about it on Twitter, anything like that. Where some of the stories, I wouldn’t say test-marketed but I’ve told stories before. This one, I had never really told before and I was like, hmm, I wonder — I went to WWE. I go to WWE every now and then, whether it’s shooting something for WWE Network if they ask me or visiting friends in Stamford and a year ago, I dropped off the books. I left one for Stephanie (McMahon), I left one for Hunter/Paul and he wasn’t there but I left one for Vince. I have no idea if he read it or not. I have since seen him since the book came out. He hasn’t mentioned it. Any backlash I thought might happen, okay, you shouldn’t have told that story, I haven’t heard so, no news is good news.
As the conversation rolled on, he shared that he once went back and forth with McMahon during the P.G. era of WWE television because McMahon wanted the word ‘damn’ removed from a promo. Gewirtz’s rebuttal was that they have a character in Ron Simmons who only says ‘damn’.
As a writer over there (at WWE), I hated when we switched to the P.G. era. I thought it was stifling and especially Vince (McMahon) himself, it said P.G. era but really, it was the ‘G’ era. I remember getting into an argument with him because he was making me take out — I had someone write, ‘I don’t even give a damn’ and he’s like, ‘My God, you can’t say damn. We’re PG’ and I’m like, ‘Yes, that’s my argument too. We’re PG…’ Not only is it no issue for this person to say damn, but we literally have a character who only says damn.
** There’s been multiple occasions when Real1/Enzo Amore and Tama Tonga have gone back and forth on social media. Real1 said on Busted Open Radio that he and Tama could’ve promoted a match and sold out a building.
When I got out of wrestling and I got back into it, to really dive into that, go full-blown heel. You hate me? You wanna see action? I cut a promo. The only wrestler who ever called my name, Tama Tonga. We lit it up all over the internet and we could’ve sold out a building, just the two of us in a match.
Elsewhere during the conversation, he reacted to comments about him made by Tony Schiavone. Schiavone said kind words about his interaction with Real1 and it was Diamond Dallas Page and Big Bill who informed him of what Schiavone said. He stated that he never expects anyone to know who he is, especially in wrestling. If Real1 could go back in time, he said he’d talk less and just listen to Schiavone.
For one, I’ll break out of character (to react to Tony Schiavone’s kind words). Wow. Just mind-blowing to meet him for the first time, to come away from that meeting and yesterday, D.D.P. hit me up and let me know that-that was said basically and Big Cass, Big Bill, he hit me up and let me know that was said and I have no idea. How the f*ck would I — dude, you think I’d Google my name? Get the f*ck out of here (he laughed)… Beyond words to know that he came away from that thinking that… You meet people all the time. You might walk away from it like, oh God. That guy thinks I’m an asshole. Oh God, did I just make an idiot of myself? I’m a normal person just like anybody else so, there’s a certain level to I don’t give a f*ck what you think about me and then people like Tony Schiavone, wow, that was really, really cool and it’s always mind-blowing when you just meet somebody and they know who you are, just in general. I don’t expect anyone to know who I am when I meet them, especially in wrestling. I think I was in a ring one time with Tommy Rich and he was my tag team partner in Chillicothe, Ohio and I get to the ring and I do my, ‘My name is’ and I hold the mic out and everybody’s says it because I don’t wanna get copyrighted but they could say what they want, and then he comes up to me, he’s like, ‘So I guess these people know who you are brother. What’s your name? How did that say that sh*t? What’d you say your name was?’ And I’m wrestling with him, he’s my partner, been in the business forever so I don’t expect you to know who I am so I didn’t expect Tony Schiavone to know who I was and that was just cool to find out that he’s familiar with my work so, humbling beyond words. The guy’s one of the voices of a generation for me that I fell asleep to, that I still can put on a podcast and listen to his voice and then I can also put it on in the morning and watch a match and get up. It’s like him and J.R., you know what I mean? And Jerry Lawler. Those voices, for me, are pro wrestling. That’s really where the stories were being told was behind the commentary booth and he’s one of the greatest storytellers in the business we’ve ever had so, to meet him, to get to talk to him, we talked about a plethora of things. I probably didn’t shut the f*ck up because you know me, especially if I just meet ya, I’m excited to meet ya and I got a million things I wanna talk about. But if I could go back in time, maybe I would’ve just shut the f*ck up and listen to him speak because there’s a million things I would love to ask him, things that he’s seen, opportunities that he’s had to work with talent that are no longer here, that I fantasize about having known… To have a name like Tony Schiavone, put me over I guess as you would say in pro wrestling, that’s huge and that’s awesome for the people that care about me, that are around me and articles being written about me in pro wrestling that are positive. Usually you hear my name and its rake through the coals…
** Joining Phil Strum on his Under the Ring podcast was AEW’s Aubrey Edwards. She touched on the reactions she receives from crowds. It makes her happy to see people in the audience wearing referee shirts. Edwards added that when people start chanting her name, she wants to tell them to save it for the wrestlers.
It’s surreal (to get the reactions I get from fans). I think the first time I ever saw a little girl dressed like me at a show, I was just completely taken aback that this is something — we’re changing the world and that seems like a very hyperbolic statement. But, I’ve always been a big proponent of representation in media. Coming from software and it also being male-dominated, it’s always something that I’ve kind of thought about being a woman in the role that I am. Knowing that there are girls growing up watching wrestling who seeing a female referee for them has always been normal, it was never a new thing, kind of how we talked about before. We’re changing what wrestling is for them. They don’t know it but their normal is different than what our normal was when we first started watching and to hear from parents that they’re so happy that their kids, both their daughters and their sons, they see this strong, authoritative woman on TV who doesn’t take any crap from people. That’s a really, really important thing to see strong women in a role who lay down laws and people have to listen. It’s not something that you see commonly. So, I’ve been very, very grateful to be given these opportunities and I’m just completely awestruck. Any time I see someone with a sign or in a ref shirt or any time they chant my name, I’m like, please, just hold off. Save it for the wrestlers (she laughed). They’re about to come out and do something really cool.
** Narihiro Takeda, Executive Director of CyberFight, wrote a piece for NOAH’s website about the state of the pro wrestling business.
** STARDOM Results (8/15/23) Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
– Saya Iida, Koguma & Hanan def. Lady C, Hina & Miyu Amasaki
– MIRAI & Saki Kashima def. Natsupoi & Yuna Mizumori
– Nanae Takahashi, Suzu Suzuki, Mei Seira & Megan Bayne def. Natsuko Tora, Starlight Kid, Fukigen Death & Ruaka
– 5STAR Grand Prix Blue Stars: Mariah May def. Mina Shirakawa
– 5STAR Grand Prix Red Stars: Syuri def. Hazuki
– 5STAR Grand Prix Red Stars: Tam Nakano vs. Mayu Iwatani – 15-Minute Time Limit Draw
– 5STAR Grand Prix Blue Stars: AZM def. Utami Hayashishita
** Charlotte Flair appeared on FOX 13 Tampa Bay to promote The Smile Train.
** August 15th birthdays: Ryo Saito (Dragongate General Manager).
** For Kento Miyahara’s 15-year anniversary as a pro wrestler on September 8th, he’ll be facing Yuma Anzai in singles competition.
** The ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper documentary that A&E released in 2021:
** Dragongate Japan Pro-Wrestling Results (8/15/23) Ono, Japan
– U-T, Jason Lee & JACKY ‘FUNKY’ KAMEI def. Takashi Yoshida, Problem Dragon & Punch Tominaga
– ISHIN def. Ryoya Tanaka
– Kagetora, Mochizuki Junior & Masaaki Mochizuki def. Ho Ho Lun, Yoshiki Kato & Último Dragón
– Susumu Mochizuki & Yasushi Kanda def. Shachihoko Boy & Dragon Kid
– Kzy, BIGBOSS Shimizu & Strong Machine J def. Kota Minoura, Minorita & B×B Hulk
If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
