Black Widow
07-26-2008, 07:45 PM
Bruno Lauer fancies himself a loyal, honest and trustworthy World Wrestling Entertainment employee.
Basically, everything that his pro wrestling character wasn't.
As the treacherous Harvey Wippleman, Lauer managed Sid Vicious (then known as Sid Justice) and a slew of other WWE talent in the 1990s. Lauer was even sleazier during an earlier run working as Downtown Bruno for regional promotions. He was an especially big hit in Memphis, Tenn., where a loyal fan base believed the in-ring exploits of baby-faces like Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett were on the level.
While thrilled with his current behind-the-scenes role in WWE, Lauer's fondness for that grittier form of pro wrestling is evident in his new autobiography, Wrestling With the Truth ($19.95, Crowbar Press).
"I was like a superstar in Memphis," said Lauer, who still lives in the area. "I couldn't walk the streets or surrounding areas without being followed. I know what Britney Spears must feel like."
He laughed, but his comparison isn't totally off the mark.
"It really was that hot in the 1980s," he said. "I'm not bragging and saying I was great. It wasn't me. We were the highest-rated television show in Memphis at the time. That's something I'm really proud to have been a part of."
Lauer's work in Memphis and personal relationship with Vicious (real name Sid Eudy) helped him land with WWE in 1991. Within months, a once-impoverished kid from Pittsburgh whose introduction to pro wrestling came at age 13 was managing the top contender for Hulk Hogan's WWE title.
Unfortunately for Lauer, he began a gradual slide down the WWE ladder after Vicious quit in 2002. While he still had a headline run managing Jorge "Giant" Gonzales in bouts against Mark "Undertaker" Callaway, Lauer was then stuck with lesser talent that failed to make a mark.
In 1996, Lauer was repackaged as a troubleshooting referee before shifting to an off-camera role.
"It was a twofold thing," Lauer said in a recent telephone interview. "The caliber of some of the guys wasn't exactly the best or I had bad luck with some of them. (Curtis) Hughes was an impressive guy, but he became a drug addict.
"The other problem was that I don't think I was given the same chance to get over (to the crowd). I wasn't (paired) with worldwide stars in Memphis, but I could get me and my guys over because I knew how to draw heat by talking. WWE wasn't using their man- agers in the same way at the time."
Lauer did have one last memorable WWE moment in 2000. Dressed in drag as "Hervina," Wippleman became the first - and only - male to win the WWE's women title. He also holds the distinction of being the only WWE performer who has held the title and managed a women's champion, working with the late Bertha Faye (Rhonda "Ripper" Singh) in 1995.
Lauer, though, doesn't take any special pride in either "accomplishment."
"Let's face it - this is sports entertainment," he said. "I wasn't champion because I was great. I was champion because the (front) office said I was going to be champion. It's like people think being in the (WWE) Hall of Fame is such a big deal. It means nothing, because the office decides who's in."
Lauer, 42, has settled into a self-described "concierge" role focused on helping WWE management and select talent with assorted tasks.
"It may be returning someone's rental car, checking someone out of their hotel room or picking up their family coming in for a show," he said. "It's a little bit of everything."
Everything but managing.
"I don't miss that whatsoever," Lauer said. "Honestly, what I miss is something that will never be there again: the old days of wrestling. I remember showing up at little shows at armories in Mississippi and Arkansas with the fans hanging from the rafters trying to attack you when you left the arena."
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Basically, everything that his pro wrestling character wasn't.
As the treacherous Harvey Wippleman, Lauer managed Sid Vicious (then known as Sid Justice) and a slew of other WWE talent in the 1990s. Lauer was even sleazier during an earlier run working as Downtown Bruno for regional promotions. He was an especially big hit in Memphis, Tenn., where a loyal fan base believed the in-ring exploits of baby-faces like Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett were on the level.
While thrilled with his current behind-the-scenes role in WWE, Lauer's fondness for that grittier form of pro wrestling is evident in his new autobiography, Wrestling With the Truth ($19.95, Crowbar Press).
"I was like a superstar in Memphis," said Lauer, who still lives in the area. "I couldn't walk the streets or surrounding areas without being followed. I know what Britney Spears must feel like."
He laughed, but his comparison isn't totally off the mark.
"It really was that hot in the 1980s," he said. "I'm not bragging and saying I was great. It wasn't me. We were the highest-rated television show in Memphis at the time. That's something I'm really proud to have been a part of."
Lauer's work in Memphis and personal relationship with Vicious (real name Sid Eudy) helped him land with WWE in 1991. Within months, a once-impoverished kid from Pittsburgh whose introduction to pro wrestling came at age 13 was managing the top contender for Hulk Hogan's WWE title.
Unfortunately for Lauer, he began a gradual slide down the WWE ladder after Vicious quit in 2002. While he still had a headline run managing Jorge "Giant" Gonzales in bouts against Mark "Undertaker" Callaway, Lauer was then stuck with lesser talent that failed to make a mark.
In 1996, Lauer was repackaged as a troubleshooting referee before shifting to an off-camera role.
"It was a twofold thing," Lauer said in a recent telephone interview. "The caliber of some of the guys wasn't exactly the best or I had bad luck with some of them. (Curtis) Hughes was an impressive guy, but he became a drug addict.
"The other problem was that I don't think I was given the same chance to get over (to the crowd). I wasn't (paired) with worldwide stars in Memphis, but I could get me and my guys over because I knew how to draw heat by talking. WWE wasn't using their man- agers in the same way at the time."
Lauer did have one last memorable WWE moment in 2000. Dressed in drag as "Hervina," Wippleman became the first - and only - male to win the WWE's women title. He also holds the distinction of being the only WWE performer who has held the title and managed a women's champion, working with the late Bertha Faye (Rhonda "Ripper" Singh) in 1995.
Lauer, though, doesn't take any special pride in either "accomplishment."
"Let's face it - this is sports entertainment," he said. "I wasn't champion because I was great. I was champion because the (front) office said I was going to be champion. It's like people think being in the (WWE) Hall of Fame is such a big deal. It means nothing, because the office decides who's in."
Lauer, 42, has settled into a self-described "concierge" role focused on helping WWE management and select talent with assorted tasks.
"It may be returning someone's rental car, checking someone out of their hotel room or picking up their family coming in for a show," he said. "It's a little bit of everything."
Everything but managing.
"I don't miss that whatsoever," Lauer said. "Honestly, what I miss is something that will never be there again: the old days of wrestling. I remember showing up at little shows at armories in Mississippi and Arkansas with the fans hanging from the rafters trying to attack you when you left the arena."
rockymountainnews.com