The Nation of Domination were a force to be reckoned with during the Attitude Era and reunited this past weekend in Manchester, England. The quartet of D’Lo Brown, Mark Henry, The Godfather, and Ron Simmons were all guests at For The Love of Wrestling. On X, the convention’s organizers shared a clip of the group’s entrance.
The group didn’t just make a star-studded entrance, but also fielded questions from fans during a Q&A event. Fans were also able to get autographs and photos from the faction’s individual members, as well as as a group photo alongside the four legendary wrestlers.
As their name suggests, the Nation of Domination dominated during the late 90s, with multiple titles to their name. These include D’Lo holding the European Championship on two occasions while The Rock (who would replace Simmons as the faction’s leader in 1998) would hold the Intercontinental Championship.
The Nation were just some of the legends at For the Love of Wrestling, the largest wrestling fan convention in Europe. Attitude Era fans were also given the chance to meet legends including Sting, Mick Foley, and Lex Luger. For fans of more modern-day talents, Tyler Breeze, JDC (fka Fandango), Ash By Elegance (fka Dana Brooke), Heath Slater, and Raj Dhesi were on hand to sign autographs, take photos, and answer questions.
Swerve Strickland showed his appreciation to some of the exceptional black wrestlers who helped shape his career on this week’s episode of AEW Collision.
February is Black History Month, in which the accomplishments of black individuals are recognised, as they have often been overlooked in the past. AEW features some excellent black wrestlers on its roster, including Jay Lethal, The Acclaimed, Marq Quen, Keith Lee, and Lee Moriarty, to name just a few.
Swerve Strickland on Black History Month
On this week’s episode of AEW Collision, Strickland addressed Black History Month during an in-ring interview with Tony Schiavone. Strickland referred to some of the black wrestlers who have inspired him and didn’t let his credit be reserved to just one promotion.
“Black History [Month], the celebration of the achievement of black people in all industries. All avenues, all walks of life, right? Yeah, I’m noble enough to really show appreciation and recognize all the people who paved the way for me to have the opportunity to stand [in this ring] right here, right now and talk to you [Tony Schiavone.]
“People you may know, such as a Ron Simmons. How about I shout out my friends who made Black history, you know, like a Kofi Kingston? What up Kof! And how about we keep it in house a little bit? We talk about some of the people that’s been one of the best wrestlers on the planet? Holding down a brand, for well over a year now, whoopin’ ass! I’m talking about the Ring of Honor Women’s [World] Champion Athena. What up sis?”
JBL has reflected on the time he was told the APA would be splitting up.
Back in 2004, SmackDown GM Paul Heyman told the APA that Ron Simmons would be fired if they failed to capture the Tag Team Titles. APA lost the match and Heyman ended up telling JBL that he has a lot to think about with his future. When Ron urged JBL to exit the building with him, Bradshaw said he couldn’t leave just because Ron said something “stupid.”
JBL Recalls Reaction To APA Splitting Up
During a Q&A session on his YouTube channel, JBL said that he and Ron wish they had more time but didn’t fight the decision.
“Yeah, of course. It wasn’t up to us. The office wanted JBL, at that time, just Bradshaw to go on his own, and so Ron and I were just footsoldiers. We did what we were asked. We didn’t really protest stuff and didn’t really say ‘we won’t do this’ or ‘didn’t want to do that.’ Ron and I worked together a lot of times before the APA, so we’d wrestle each other a ton. It wasn’t a matter of whether we wanted to wrestle each other, but we really didn’t want to do the angle where Ron came back for revenge and all that.”
JBL ended up getting the biggest push of his career. He captured the WWE Championship and held it for 280 days. As for Ron Simmons, he was legitimately released by WWE but has made sporadic appearances throughout the years to deliver his renowned “Damn!” line.
The 2004 split wasn’t the first time the APA was separated. In 2002, Simmons was drafted to SmackDown while JBL was sent to Raw. The two remained faces as singles stars.
Being part of the APA was an important stop in JBL’s career and the breakup of the group helped launch his run as a main eventer in WWE.
The WWE hall of famer alongside his partner Ron Simmons appeared on the latest episode of WWE’s The Bump where they discussed a number of things and relived the memories of their time together.
During the interview, JBL also talked about their storyline break up in 2004 which saw John turning on his partner and the former WWE champion said that he would have been happy if the company never split them:
“We knew it that it wasn’t gonna last forever. You know, we couldn’t be doing it to this day, we can go back and do the backstage stuff, but we wouldn’t be in the ring now, you know, backing that up anymore.
So, we knew at some point it was going to end, which I hated. I would’ve been happy being an APA member my entire life. If JBL had never happened and I retired at the end of APA, I’d be perfectly fine with that.”
APA lost a “You’re Fired” match to the then WWE tag team champions Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty in March 2004 and it meant that both the stars will be released from their contract.
However, General Manager Paul Heyman later revealed that Ron Simmons was the only one being released because the management saw potential in JBL. This storyline effectively ended the partnership between the two.
WWE Hall Of Famer Ron Simmons recently spoke to Wrestling Shoots to talk about several professional wrestling topics.
Simmons was asked about his run with The Nation Of Domination. The group consisted of members such as Simmons, The Rock, D’Lo Brown, Mark Henry and more. Of course, the gem of the group turned out to be The Rock.
Rock won several World Titles after embarking on his singles careers. Not only is he one of the biggest WWE Superstars of all time, but he’s now a major Hollywood movie star. Simmons tips his hat to Rock for the success:
“My hat off to him,” Simmons said. “I mean if that’s the way things go down, some get to go on and do other things — some don’t, but I’m glad I had a good part in helping him do what he had to do.
“When things weren’t going well for him in the beginning, when they couldn’t get him to where they wanted to get him, I’m glad that I had a good solid position for him to come in where I had a good profound effect on where he is and coming into professional wrestling and then going on to doing what he’s doing now.”
The Break Up
Then Simmons opened up about his reaction to the news that The Nation would be splitting up. Simmons said he was shocked it was ending so soon. He suggested some guys “flipping out” about contracts could’ve played a factor in the decision:
“I was shocked when it was ending so soon,” Simmons said. “It could have been some of the guys — you know we had some guys in the group that started going crazy, flipping out. Maybe it had something to do with them and their contracts or something. I was shocked when it did end.
“So I don’t know exactly what profound reason why and pinpoint why they did it but you know, I was just shocked when it did end.”
Wrestling and college football legend Ron Simmons was a recent guest on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling. Simmons discussed a wide variety of topics, from his days at Florida State University to his rise up the ladder in WCW and his long run in the WWE as a member of the APA along with JBL. You can listen to the full episode at Podomatic.com. Here are some highlights:
Approaching the 25th anniversary of his historic WCW Title win and becoming first African American World Champion:
“First, I like to phrase it like this. I have no ill-respect for the country or nation of Africa but I label myself as the first Black American Heavyweight Champion. As far as I’m concerned my ancestry is here in this country and that is the way I look at it and of course that holds a special meaning and interest in my heart and I can’t tell you that I don’t relive it every day of the month. Anybody that has been in this business whether it be male or female strive to get to the pinnacle in their career and that is becoming World Champion. It will always hold a special place in my heart and who better than to be in the ring with like somebody like Vader where you know it is going to be a brawl and it was. It continues to this day to resonate with me like it happened last week and not only because it holds a special place and meaning and even more than just becoming World Champion is to have others come up to me now and say; “Hey Ron, thank you for inspiring me not only to get into this business but inspiring me to go on to do things that I had reservations about doing.” You cannot ask for a better compliment than that.”
The overwhelming crowd reaction to his win that night in Baltimore, MD:
“People often ask me about that. That came across like it was a real moment in professional wrestling history. People think that it was a pre-planned thing well it wasn’t. Ron Simmons had no knowledge that was going to take place until he got to the arena and I think it did come across like that. I had no knowledge of it, Vader had no knowledge of it and obviously the crowd had no knowledge of it. It was special and no only special for me and I hope for Vader as well but it was special for the people and that is why you saw such a positive reaction of people crying and the adulation that came across when that match was over. It was I believe was one of the best moments in professional wrestling history and certainly for myself.”
What led to the success of the APA and JBL’s personality outside the ring:
“I can’t even express it into words what it was like to be tagged up with someone like Bradshaw. It was just like a natural and like a hand to glove. It had no other way than to go than to be a success. He and I were like two peas in a pod, we shared the same things out of the ring and since we came from similar background since he was football player and an athlete with a college scholarship and all of these things plus all of the out of the ring antics were similar to each other and we had a natural feel for each other as well in the ring and our personalities. There didn’t have to be a lot of verbal conversations between us and it is that way sometimes with tag teams when you get a mixture of people together sometimes it doesn’t come across on the screen if they don’t work together and there was a natural flow with us. We absolutely loved and cared for one another and I think that what resonated the most when people would watch us on the screen.”
The Attitude Era vs. today’s wrestling:
“I am a little prejudice towards that era back then. I believed about the in the ring wrestling over spending times with out of the ring shenanigans and talking and all of these things. Our stuff was settled in the ring and I think people want to see more of that if you ask me. But times change and I am just prejudice towards that era because guys got in the ring and actually wrestled and that is what the people liked to see.”
The physical style of the APA:
“You have to make what you are doing as believable as possible and I’ll tell you right now that was our intentions in doing exactly what we did. We have come across and like I said we are both football players so obviously contact was no big deal to us and professional wrestling is all contact since you are using your body. I always prided myself on being the best at whatever I had done (football or professional wrestling) if you are gonna do stuff, do it to the best of your ability and that is what myself and Bradshaw had intentions of doing for the people since that is what they wanted to see. That is exactly what I like to think we did and that is why I think it continues to give me something that works in my favor when I continue to get praised today and it is the highest compliment to be removed from your business and still have people say thank you for all the memorable moments. You can’t get any better compliment than that. ”
For this and every other episode of The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling, you can subscribe on iTunes, Podomatic, Player FM, Earpeeler and Tune In Radio.
Former WCW World Champion Ron Simmons was the latest guest on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling Podcast to discuss his historic WCW title win, working with JBL and the success of the APA. You can check out the highlights below (quotes via WrestleZone):
Being the first African American World Champion in WCW 25 years later:
“First, I like to phrase it like this. I have no ill-respect for the country or nation of Africa but I label myself as the first Black American Heavyweight Champion. As far as I’m concerned my ancestry is here in this country and that is the way I look at it and of course that holds a special meaning and interest in my heart and I can’t tell you that I don’t relive it every day of the month. Anybody that has been in this business whether it be male or female strive to get to the pinnacle in their career and that is becoming World Champion.
“It will always hold a special place in my heart and who better than to be in the ring with like somebody like Vader where you know it is going to be a brawl and it was. It continues to this day to resonate with me like it happened last week and not only because it holds a special place and meaning and even more than just becoming World Champion is to have others come up to me now and say; “Hey Ron, thank you for inspiring me not only to get into this business but inspiring me to go on to do things that I had reservations about doing.” You cannot ask for a better compliment than that.”
The Baltimore crowd’s overwhelming reaction:
“People often ask me about that. That came across like it was a real moment in professional wrestling history. People think that it was a pre-planned thing well it wasn’t. Ron Simmons had no knowledge that was going to take place until he got to the arena and I think it did come across like that. I had no knowledge of it, Vader had no knowledge of it and obviously the crowd had no knowledge of it. It was special and no only special for me and I hope for Vader as well but it was special for the people and that is why you saw such a positive reaction of people crying and the adulation that came across when that match was over. It was I believe was one of the best moments in professional wrestling history and certainly for myself.”
The reason for APA’s success and what JBL is like off-camera:
“I can’t even express it into words what it was like to be tagged up with someone like Bradshaw. It was just like a natural and like a hand to glove. It had no other way than to go than to be a success. He and I were like two peas in a pod, we shared the same things out of the ring and since we came from similar background since he was football player and an athlete with a college scholarship and all of these things plus all of the out of the ring antics were similar to each other and we had a natural feel for each other as well in the ring and our personalities.
“There didn’t have to be a lot of verbal conversations between us and it is that way sometimes with tag teams when you get a mixture of people together sometimes it doesn’t come across on the screen if they don’t work together and there was a natural flow with us. We absolutely loved and cared for one another and I think that what resonated the most when people would watch us on the screen.”
His thoughts on today’s WWE vs. The Attitude Era:
“I am a little prejudice towards that era back then. I believed about the in the ring wrestling over spending times with out of the ring shenanigans and talking and all of these things. Our stuff was settled in the ring and I think people want to see more of that if you ask me. But times change and I am just prejudice towards that era because guys got in the ring and actually wrestled and that is what the people liked to see.”
The APA’s physical style:
“You have to make what you are doing as believable as possible and I’ll tell you right now that was our intentions in doing exactly what we did. We have come across and like I said we are both football players so obviously contact was no big deal to us and professional wrestling is all contact since you are using your body. I always prided myself on being the best at whatever I had done (football or professional wrestling) if you are gonna do stuff, do it to the best of your ability and that is what myself and Bradshaw had intentions of doing for the people since that is what they wanted to see. That is exactly what I like to think we did and that is why I think it continues to give me something that works in my favor when I continue to get praised today and it is the highest compliment to be removed from your business and still have people say thank you for all the memorable moments. You can’t get any better compliment than that.”
– Next week’s live WWE SmackDown will feature Heath Slater vs. Rhyno. If Slater wins, he will receive a SmackDown contract from GM Daniel Bryan. Rhyno is one of the talents brought back for the blue brand.
– Cathy Kelley and Corey Graves look at Ron Simmons winning the WCW Title from Vader and making history in the latest This Week in WWE History video, seen here:
– Former NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha have received a lot of praise after making their debuts and defeating The Vaudevillains on this week’s SmackDown. Below are comments from Triple H and Kevin Owens:
– Another new WWE Network Collection that went live this week features IC Title matches from previous SummerSlam events, titled Summer’s Intercontinental Glory. The trailer is below:
WWE Hall Of Famer Ron Simmons recently spoke with the folks at Slam! Wrestling. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On being the first black World Champion: “At that particular time, I didn’t even focus on being the first African-American. My only goal was to become World champion. That was the only thing on my mind, to have the opportunity to win that belt. As time went on, I started thinking of the significance of it and it is more than I thought it would be. Even to this day, people tell me the impact it had on their life.”
On Dusty Rhodes: “I started in Florida Championship Wrestling and he had more of an impact on my career than anyone, but Hiro Matsuda. When I was told about his passing, it was like if time had stopped, I couldn’t believe it. The last time I saw him was during the WrestleMania weekend. He was such a great guy. He always wanted to make sure that you remembered the fundamentals, the basis of what the business was built around. He always told me to never become too big to forget about the people, to always stay in touch with the people. He wasn’t the greatest worker on Earth, but he was so good talking to people.”
On helping The Rock in The Nation of Domination: “That’s how he got his identity. They didn’t know what to do with him. I was able to help The Rock get over on the mic, to help him with his personality, with some of his catchphrases. He got a lot of this from me and I was glad to help giving him an identity.”
“It was just a matter of time before he found his niche, his own identity. He had tried to come along and do stuff that his family background was doing. They didn’t want a younger version of High Chief Peter Maivia. They wanted him to find his own identity and being himself. And that’s when he took off. It makes me feel good I had a little to do in this.”
On his “DAMN!” catchphrase: “Let’s just say I’d jump off the top rope and I’d sprain an ankle or I would miss a move or something, and the first thing I’d yell out was ‘Damn!’ and the people in the first few rows could hear me say that. Every time I was coming back to a city, the fans would notice that every time something would go wrong, I would say ‘Damn!’ and as I kept coming back to each of the cities, I noticed that they would all start chanting ‘Damn!’ One day I asked Bradshaw what they were doing.
“I think they’re talking about you,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, every time you do something and it’s not right you say ‘Damn!’ and that’s what they’re saying.”
“The writers picked up on that too. So we were in Chicago and Booker T and John Cena were doing something and they asked me to just walk on stage and after Cena was done talking just to say ‘Damn!’ and see the response. And it got over with the fans. You never know what people are gonna like, right?”
– Total Divas returns for its fourth season on Tuesday, July 7, at 9/8 CT on E!. The synopsis for the season premiere is as follows:
“In the Season 4 premiere, the Bellas face the consequences of quitting the WWE; at the same time, news of Eva’s new role causes chaos in the Divas division; and Nattie explores her dominatrix side.”
– After performing a stand-up comedy routine at the Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus, Massachusetts, Dolph Ziggler noted on Twitter that he would be performing another routine this afternoon, prior to the WWE live event at the TD Garden in Boston. His routine took place in the backyard of an apartment complex.
– The APA, John “Bradshaw” Layfield and Ron Simmons, reunited this weekend at the Florida Supercon at the Miami Beach Convention Center. In this video interview, the former WWE tandem talk about what it’s like to get back together.
Former WWE performer Teddy Long recently spoke with the folks at AL.com to promote his appearance at AWF’s show outside the Golden Corral restaurant in Tillman’s Corner. Below are some highlights from the interview.
On being a General Manager in WWE: “I had a great experience with that. It was the first time ever (a babyface played the general manager role). They talked to me a couple of times about turning me (into a heel, or bad guy) and Vince said, ‘No.’ He saw that people liked me. If the people like you, why turn? That’s what Vince is all about. He’s about money. My character was definitely me. Vince was the guy behind a lot of it, but I made the character me. That’s how I got over. I wasn’t being someone else.”
On his favorite SmackDown memory: ” I think it was the wedding. I had the wedding with Kristal Marshall and had the heart attack as I said, ‘I do.’ That was some good stuff. But I had so many memories. I had an opportunity to put Rey Mysterio in a big position one night so he could qualify for the world title. John Laurinaitis and Vickie Guerrero … we had some good times. (Guerrero) was a sweet woman.”
On managing The Undertaker early in his career before he came to WWE: “Mark was one of the nicest guys you ever would meet. ‘Taker is a business man. He’s a lot like Vince. When you can, yourself, get involved in storylines with Undertaker and people like that, you don’t let that go to your head. I never did that.”
On racism in wrestling and Ron Simmons becoming the first black World Champion in WCW: “I thought it was a significant achievement. There had never been a black world championship before. Back in the day, there was a little racism in our industry. You saw black guys get beat and they never thought they would be able to get to the top. But Ron Simmons was a brand. He was a former Florida State University (All-American) football player. Putting the belt on him was no racism thing. They put the belt on him because (the company felt that Simmons could represent the company as champion).”
WWE ran their final event ever at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday night. As noted, the arena will be shut down before the end of March.
WWE aired a historical video package during the show, which featured Ron Simmons, The New Age Outlaws, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash sharing some of their memories and talking about their history in the venue.
The final match to ever be held in the venue saw John Cena defeat Seth Rollins in a steel cage match.
Below are comments from Cena and Bad News Barrett about the IZOD Center shutting down.
For the last time tonight, #WWELive performs at the @IzodCenter. Thank you to the fans that made each event here one of a kind. #NeverGiveUp
As we noted recently, Booker T will be conducting a “special interview” with Shawn Michaels during this Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble Kickoff Show. HBK is not expected to be at the Rumble in person, however, as the interview with Booker T was taped this past Monday at RAW Reunion in Dallas.
Also taped this past Monday in Dallas is the latest edition of “The JBL Show,” which features an appearance by JBL’s former A.P.A. tag-team partner, Ron Simmons. You can check out the full show below.
Monday’s RAW Reunion show will feature appearances from several of the industry’s top legends, including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman. There have been reports over the past several days that Attitude Era tag team The Acolytes, JBL and Ron Simmons, will be reuniting for some sort of confrontation with The Ascension.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen JBL criticizing the team on commentary. There’s been talk of The Ascension confronting JBL on RAW, with Ron Simmons coming to the aid of his former partner.
With Billy Gunn advertised for RAW and Road Dogg working as a backstage agent, it’s possible we’ll see them reunite as well. Especially with Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Sean Waltman in the house, a DX and nWo reunion on the same show would certainly make for some interesting television.
The following are highlights of a new WNS Podcast interview with Ron Simmons:
ON APPEARING AT COASTALMANIA AND THE CLUTCH CITY PRODUCTIONS SUPERSHOW
I’m looking forward to that. But I’ll tell you, I’m really looking forward to coming back to the state of Texas. Particularly to Galveston. As you know I’ve come there many times throughout my career and as a matter of fact I was a native of Texas for around 4 years.in Dallas so I consider myself to be somewhat a resident of Texas so. I’m really looking forward to this and it will be something I’ll treasure for a while because I’m in retirement now and didn’t have a chance when I was on the road to come back and meet and greet and talk to a lot of the people particularly in Texas. So this is going to be an opportunity for me to do that.
ON HIS TRANSITION FROM PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL TO PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING
Well, I’ve always been a fan of professional wrestling.and because I’ve always loved sports that particularly had to have some kind of physical prowess and athletic ability. So, I’ve always been a big fan and I recall myself as a young man growing up watching guys like Tony Atlas, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair and throughout my football career I was always a big fan and I thought perhaps in the back of my mind one day that after my football career ended and if I didn’t go into Communications field coming out of the college I was at, I would probably give it a shot. As it turned out, I played 25 years of professional ball and decided to give professional wrestling a shot and got trained by Hiro Matsuda whom I consider to be, was, the best in the business at that particular time and for me he’ll be forever the best. And that transition for me it was harder than I thought it was going to be. I thought that coming from football it would be somewhat easy but I’ve got to be honest it was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done as far as requiring physical ability.
ON THE REACTION HE RECEIVED FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS AFTER BECOMING THE FIRST BLACK WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION
At that particular time, it wasn’t so much celebrated as the first Black World Heavyweight Champion. It was just me having won the World Heavyweight Championship at that time. And then I think that perhaps as time went on then it set in that history was made. That I was the first black man to wear the World Heavyweight Championship and even to this day I sometimes have to catch myself to make sure that was real and that I have gone through the things that I did because I consider that to be quite an accomplishment. And I’m proud of myself and the most proud of myself for the fact that it opened up more doors for other young black men and women to pursue professional wrestling. But it gave encouragement to all young athletes. So, thats one of the things I’m biggest and most proud of
THOUGHTS ON WWE BEING AGAINST GIVING A BLACK MAN THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
All the years I’ve worked with WWE, that opportunity is there for any man or woman for that matter. If you’re willing to work and put in the dedication that it requires you will get that shot. That I have no problem with. I’ve worked with Vince (McMahon) for quite a while. I know him, I know all of his family members. So, that’s not true. If opportunity presents itself and if there’s someone they consider to be worthy black or white they will get the opportunity to put that belt on and I’m certain that it won’t be long before that happens because you look up there you have quite a few black young men up there now that given a couple of more years under their belt will probably be wearing that belt really soon. So, no I have no problem with that. I think that’s going to happen real soon.
ON WHETHER HE PREFERS TAG TEAM OR SINGLES
Oh definitely tag. I had the most fun starting with Butch and Doom. It was there. But I think perhaps throughout my career and then of course with The Nation Of Domination. With all of the guys in there I had a lot of fun. But, my brother, and native Texan I might add, Bradshaw. It was the most fun. I mean I couldn’t think of a better way to wind down and end my career than being in a tag team with him and it just was fun all throughout the years we worked together and then not only to have success at it but to be able to entertain the people to the fullest and then to have them years after that is over to come up and say that that was the most enjoyable period of time throughout my wrestling career and what they’ve seen in professional wrestling. That’s what made it worthwhile. It was definitely the highlight of my career. After winning the World Heavyweight Championship, that would top it off. The APA.
HIS BEST MEMORY OF WORKING WITH JBL AS THE A.P.A.
There’s just so many of them. We had a great time all the way. We had such chemistry together. We both had similar out of the ring things in common. We both had football background and we liked to go out and raise hell in bars and get in fights for real. So, it was just a natural that we worked well together and it came across well on-screen because that was us in reality and that’s what made it such a success
ON HOW IT FEELS TO BE PART OF A FACTION THAT STILL HAS A LASTING IMPRESSION ON FANS
You want to be remembered for something like that. That’s what you want guys and girls to come up to you and say. That’s what makes it all worthwhile. That’s what your career should be about you know and not many people get the opportunity to be involved in something that people come back years later and say “Wow why can’t they do something like that? That’s what I really love.” And the thing about it was not only when I was doing that with The Nation and myself and everyone involved. We really got into doing that. We wanted to give the people the best we could with doing what we were doing with that faction and that’s why it will have such a long lasting effect. I’m really, really grateful that it gave the people the enjoyment that it did. And it’s really an honour to be remembered like it is throughout the years
THE ORIGIN OF ‘DAMN!’
I think that started being catchy when I would go to different towns and I would be in a match and we would be doing something and I would get frustrated probably because I couldn’t pin the guy and things weren’t going my way throughout the match and they would hear me say ‘DAMN!’ and then the people in the audience just started saying it and it really resonated with them and it’s catchy because all of us at some point in our lives somebody comes along and ticks us off wether it be in traffic or whether it be your kids or whether it be someone at customer service not giving you the best treatment you just simply have to say ‘DAMN!’
The following are highlights of a WGD Weekly interview with Ron Simmons:
On the significance of becoming the first African American World Champion in WCW: “Out of everything that I’ve accomplished in professional wrestling, that, without any doubt, tops the list. As I have stated before, once we leave this earth, man or woman, we want to be known or leave something behind that is good for mankind, period and that to me was the best gift I could’ve given, not only to my race, but to any aspiring wrestler, or anyone aspiring to do the best in anything they can…at that time there wasn’t many African Americans in the business, and then for myself to come along and be the one, while not setting out to be that one, or that trailblazer, or the first to wear that heavyweight belt. it means a lot to me. To see the other guys like Booker T, or Mark Henry who had come after me and for them to come up to me and say ‘Thank you, Ron, for inspiring me and opening the door for me to get an opportunity to pursue my dream. That’s what sums the whole thirty years of this business, that I have been in the ring, that’s what makes it all worth while.”
On who he feels deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame that has not yet been inducted: “My brother, as I do say, at some point he definitely has to go in there. Whether it is as a tag team or as a singles, he was a world champion there and in numerous world championship tag teams there with myself, and that’s my partner, Bradshaw.”
On sitting down with Vince McMahon and being pitched the Faarooq Asad gimmick: “We sat down and we started going over things, and we thought about how I was going to be presented in my gimmick…so, he said, ‘This is when I sat down with my team and envisioned you as.’ Now this was far from my mind, but, he pulls these drawings out and says, ‘I see you as this gladiator, as this spartan. Now, so far I’m thinking, man, this is great, I can get with that. Then he starts to show me more and more and then he says, ‘And this will be something like what you’ll be wearing, this helmet right here, it’s made out if leather.’ So, at first I’m waiting there, you know, I’m waiting for him to laugh or to joke. Because, I’m laughing at this point and I’m thinking, this guy has a good sense of humor, he is ribbing me. So, as I’m laughing, I look at his face and think, ‘Oh god, he is serious.’ So, my face goes right back to poker face right then and all I can say is, ‘You know, I think that is great. That is fantastic and it will be the best thing I’ve ever done.’ I’m thinking in the back of my mind, ‘I can’t believe this.'”
On he and Bradshaw having to “welcome” incoming talent to the WWF that may have not had the best attitude coming in: “There is a lot of truth to that, absolutely. There were guys that came there from other organizations that perhaps they thought they should just skip everybody else and skip right to the top and have things right away the way they wanted. I mean, hey, there are rules and things that you have to abide by as far as this business goes…and you have to respect those. But, when you don’t respect those, then hey, we have got a problem. So, yes, we had a lot of guys who came in with that attitude, and John and I would have to be called upon to let them know ‘hey, that is not how it works here’.”
The following are highlights from a new website Q&A update by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On his debut “Ross Report” podcast and future guests: “Austin will be back for Ross Report #2 next week followed by Mauro Ranallo, Trish Stratus, and Mick Foley. I’ve got some great guests coming on to shoot the breeze. Thanks for listening.”
On why Ron Simmons was more successful as part of a tag-team in WWE: “Hmmm…he did well in both roles especially being pivotal launching Rock from the Nation. The APA thing with JBL was good too and garnered a great deal of TV time. They were two different presentations that were both executed well.”
On whether or not Sting never working for WWE will prevent him from going into the WWE Hall Of Fame: “Absolutely not. I wold bet a case of JR’s BBQ Sauce that Sting is in the WWE HOF within 2-3 years.”
On if he feels Damien Sandow is being underutilized in WWE: “I’d agree that Sandow could be more of a force. That’s partly WWE’s fault and partly the talents. To be great it takes a partnership between company and talent.”
Check out more from JR’s latest website Q&A update at JRsBarBQ.com.
– Sheamus vs. Christian has been announced for Friday’s SmackDown.
– WWE.com has published a feature looking at NXT star Sami Zayn’s quest to defeat Cesaro. The two will square off at next week’s NXT: Arrival live event on the WWE Network in a rematch of their 2013 Match of the Year candidate match.
– Here is the latest Black History Month video that aired on RAW highlighting the legendary career of Ron Simmons:
SESCOOPS.COM reader Neal Jones sent along the following:
Recap of Ron Simmons on In Your Head Wrestling Radio by Vic Schiavone
Host Jack E. Jones welcomed WWE Hall-of-Famer Ron Simmons to IYH Wrestling Radio
Highlights included the following:
How do wrestling fans in Atlanta stand out from fans in other parts of the country?: “Well, I think that they’ve got a little bit of background and history, because you had Georgia Championship Wrestling, you had NWA, WCW…there are a lot of roots in professional wrestling here. It goes way back, and believe me, you are talking about excited fans; I mean hardcore, wrestling fans, who know their history of it, know the origins of it, know the guys and the different generations of the wrestlers. The South is really a wrestling haven for people that have grown up in the business and in particular Atlanta.”
Mae Young passed away recently; do you have any memories of her you would like to share?: “The only thing I can say about Mae Young is that it was just an honor to have been around her for the many years that I had the privilege of seeing her even in action and being around her. She was just a great woman; always cheerful, always had something uplifting to tell you. Along with (The Fabulous) Moolah, her partner, when you saw one of them you might as well had seen them both because they were very much alike, and they were fantastic women as well as great wrestlers period. I don’t want to say just for being a woman, I mean period; as tough as they come, and she will surely be missed. God bless her.”
Other topics discussed included:
·What were his thoughts on Ole Anderson and what was it like being in the ring with him?
·What was it like wrestling with Butch Reed in the tag team Doom?
·What is his favorite horror movie?
Ron will be appearing in Atlanta on February 7-9 at Days of the Dead for Sinners and Saints Tattoo. For further information, go to http://www.daysofthedead.net/ and http://www.sinnersandsaintstattoo.com/
You can check out the complete Ron Simmons interview below.
-John Cena missed the WWE live event on Sunday in Oakland, California, the only house show on the books for WWE this past weekend. While no reason for his absence was given, WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts did tell the live crowd that refunds would be available for those who requested them. We will have a full live report from the WWE show in Oakland, which also featured the in-ring return of The Big Show, later today.
-WWE Hall Of Famers Dusty Rhodes, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and a special APA reunion are all scheduled as the headline attractions for the Legends Of The Ring convention in Monroe, New Jersey this October. For more information, visit LegendsOfTheRing.com.
SESCOOPS.COM reader Carl Dantes sent along the following:
Meet Shawn Michaels and his MRA team at the Field and Stream Shop Grand Opening in Cranberry Township, PA on Friday August 16th from 3-5pm and Michaels will be signing autographs and taking pictures plus a Q&A session and you could also win a dinner with him & his MRA co-host Keith Mark. Yes, it’s free.
August 16, 2013
3pm-5pm
Field & Stream Shop
1000 Cranberry Square Drive
Cranberry Township, PA 16066
Also on Saturday August 17th, Michaels will be at the Cabelas in Hamburg PA.
August 17, 2013
10am-12pm
Cabela’s Retail Store
100 Cabela Drive
Hamburg, PA 19526
And on Sunday August 18th Michaels will be at the WWE’s SummerSlam Axxess – tickets available now.
August 18, 2013
1pm-3pm
WWE SummerSlam AXXESS
Nokia Plaza L.A. LIVE
800 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
-According to WWE Hall Of Famer “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, WWE tells their talet that they must post at least one tweet per day on their Twitter accounts. Rhodes posted the following tweet on Tuesday morning:
“They say I must tweet at least once a day , WWE ok that’s it !”
-Part two of the Diamond Dallas Page interview from the latest edition of the Steve Austin Show, the official podcast by WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, is now online. Part one and part two can be head online at PodcastOne.com.
-WWE Hall Of Famer Ron Simmons will be appearing as a guest on KnokX Knowledge Radio this Wednesday at 7pm PT. For more information, click here.
– With Hurricane Sandy barreling towards the North East United States, Vince McMahon, Triple H and Kevin Dunn all left Connecticut on WWE’s private jet early Sunday morning for WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
Additionally, WWE offices in Stamford, Connecticut and New York have been closed today (Monday) due to Hurricane Sandy.
– WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons was backstage visiting at Hell in a Cell and made a cameo on television during a comedy segment with Zack Ryder and Santino Marella. As both Santino and Ryder danced around in their silly Halloween costumes, Simmons delivered his signature “DAMN!” line.
– Here is the latest edition of “WWE Download” with Dolph Ziggler:
“Dolph Ziggler unloads on some of YouTube’s most idiotic clips, Nattie getting chatty with sexy swimmer Ryan Lochte and The Showoff gives John Cena tips on how to actually wrestle. Whatevs.”
– Paul Bearer teased an appearance on tonight’s landmark edition of Raw with the following Twitter message: “What a wonderful tune…. “Meet me in Saint Louis.” He also posted messages alluding to taking a flight.
The legendary manager last appeared on Raw on the April 23 show as part of Kane’s ongoing feud with Randy Orton. He was kidnapped by Orton and then stuck in a storage freezer while strapped to a wheelchair. Kane later came for Bearer, only to roll him back into the freezer and say, “I’m saving you…from me.”
Meanwhile, Kenn Doane, who appeared as Kenny and Kenny Dykstra for WWE, stated late last night on Twitter that he will be at Raw when asked whether he will watching the show on television. He then wrote this afternoon on Twitter, “St. Louis is nice this time of year.”
– WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons has been spotted in St. Louis, Missouri.
– American Idol contestant and wrestling fan James Durbin appeared at a ‘be a STAR’ anti-bullying rally in St. Louis, Missouri today along with Eve, The Miz and WWE Executive Stephanie McMahon.
WWE officials have reached out to numerous former talents in recent months for tonight’s Raw celebrating 1000th episodes. The following former WWE Superstars have been confirmed as being in St. Louis, Missouri, site of tonight’s epic show:
A licensing inquiry by THQ led one songwriter to file a federal lawsuit against WWE, WWE-owned company Stephanie Music Publishing, Inc., WWE employee Michael Seitz (a/k/a Michael “P.S.” Hayes) and WWE employee James Alan Johnston (a/k/a Jim Johnston). According to a lawsuit filed by songwriter James D. Papa, the sports entertainment organization redirected royalty payments to several wrestling related songs he either wrote or co-wrote by securing the rights to music unlawfully.
The songs in question are featured in the 1992 WCW compilation album Slam Jam 1 and were used as entrance themes by wrestlers. The songs include “Badstreet USA” (The Fabulous Freebirds), “Don’t Step To Ron” (Ron Simmons), “Man Called Sting” (Sting), “Mr. Bang Bang” (Cactus Jack), “Master of the DDT” (Jake “The Snake” Roberts), “Freebird Forever” (The Fabulous Freebirds), “Simply Ravishing” (“Ravishing” Rick Rude), “Johnny B. Badd,” “The Natural” (“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes) “The Dragon” (Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat), “He’s Smokin” (Barry Windham) and “Steinerized” (The Steiner Brothers).
Papa says he was contacted by video-game company THQ for permission to license “Badstreet USA” for its Legends of WrestleMania title that was released in March 2009. The lawsuit alleges, “THQ’s records showed the song to be owned by World Wrestling Entertainment.” The suit continues:
“As a result of the confusion, Papa contacted BMI to ensure that ‘Badstreet USA’ was properly registered to him and his companies. Upon his investigation, Papa learned that ‘Badstreet USA’ had been improperly and erroneously reregistered by Defendants and been given a new registration number, resulting in the royalties being redirected to Defendants. Eventually, through working with BMI, Papa was able to correct the registration to properly reflect his ownership in the work. However, by the time the registration was corrected, THQ had decided not to use the song.”
The suit says, “His investigation revealed a systematic pattern of errors and omissions by WWE personnel that effectively misappropriated Papa’s musical works and deprived the Plaintiffs of royalty payments that would have been paid but for these errors and omissions.” According to BMI.com, “Mr. Bang Bang” has two separate registration numbers: one for Papa, another that credits James Alan Johnston as songwriter and Stephanie Music Publishing as publisher. Johnston is WWE’s longtime music composer while Stephanie Music Publishing is a company owned by Vince McMahon that was named after his daughter, Stephanie.
Papa says his songs have appeared on myriad places including numerous video releases, broadcasts of cable television shows and on-demand programming, without his permission and without receiving financial compensation. He is seeking royalties paid (plus pre- and post- judgment interest) on the sale of videos, computer games, the sale or licensing of ring tones, and the broadcasts of cable television shows and on-demand programming; a preliminary and permanent injunction to halt the use of the copyrighted materials; an order directing the named defendants to file a report detailing how they have complied with the injunction; reimbursement for legal fees; and a trial by jury where the court will determine damages. He also wants the court to certify that he owns the rights to the music.