Dangerous Incorporated
01-07-2007, 02:08 AM
DR. TOM PRICHARD TALKS ABOUT TRAINING, CHRIS CANDIDO, HEAVENLY BODIES, CLOUDY AND MORE
On January 2nd, Wrestling Weekly hosts Doc Young and Les Thatcher were joined by former WWE superstar, tag team specialist and trainer, Dr Tom Pritchard.
Dr Tom wishes Doc & Les a happy new year and talks about watching ‘Raw’ and what it takes for wrestlers to get to that level. Pritchard states he started out in the business in 1979 and learned from working with veterans every night. He continues by saying that by working with the veterans it was, ‘on the job training’. Les talks about if he messed up a finish he was told about by the wrestlers when traveling behind shows what went wrong and being critiqued. Those training today don’t have the same opportunity to learn from the veterans. Pritchard agrees with Les Thatcher’s point about the lack of depth of talent today and states that the younger wrestlers who might have potential if given the opportunity. When he broke into the business he worked in Texas and California and was teamed up with Al Madril. Pritchard then talks about John Tolos who critiqued him after his match which really helped him. Dr Tom discusses Frankie Cain and that his wife got him the book and DVD about him. Doc & Les state that Frankie was a guest on ’Wrestling Weekly’. Les says one of his first big angles he was involved in featuring Caine, when he was one half of the Infernos. Dr Tom says he grew up watching the Inferno’s and that brings him back to why he wanted to be a pro-wrestling. Pritchard highlights he told that he was too small to be a wrestler, but Frankie Caine was only 5' 7” and that it’s not about size, but what you do with it.
He then talks about watching ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown!’ and states it looks too sanitized and don’t have the opportunity to go to the weekly wrestling shows like in the past. Tom Pritchard goes onto discuss attending shows and that there was excitement and electricity in the crowd during the big matches. Pritchard talks about being in Texas and attending cards promoted by Paul Boesch which featured Johnny Valentine, Wahoo McDaniel and Jose Lothario, that there was a solid underneath card too and he attended every Friday night. Paul Boesch calling the action and holds got Dr Tom into the matches and he talks about how this compared to ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown!’. Pritchard then goes onto to state that he don’t realize how hard it is to get an honest reaction from the fans today at the WWE shows. Les says it’s more like a game show and that fans cheer/boo because they think they have to. Dr Tom says you have to be a fan, really love wrestling to be good at it otherwise it will be manufactured, not real.
Les talks about Joe/Angle, who have their third match coming up at ‘Final Resolution’, in less than three months and Kurt’s been in TNA for four months so far. Les states that they shouldn’t have had their first match until April. Dr Tom says he tries to enjoy TNA but everything seems to be right now and there’s no chance to really build something properly. Les says wrestling promotions should build month to month and give him a reason to buy a pay-per-view and talks about a while back there was six PPV events in a short time period and who has the money to buy them all. Pritchard says that thirty years ago there wasn’t a PPV every month as back then it didn’t exist, but now every pay-per-view they have to get their money (meaning the fans) and worry about the next one, tomorrow. Dr Tom believes the wrestling business will never die but does seem the slumps and down period. He continues by talking about how John Cena is doing good in his role and in general, everyone has a big show every month and it has to be a ‘big show’ but it’s not possible every single month.
Les asks about current WWE Champion, John Cena and if Cena was more of a similar worker to Steve Austin, how much better would be be. Dr Tom Pritchard responds by saying he would a lot better champion, he was put in a very tough spot but he had the patience when getting booed and didn’t panic. He says it’s a good learning experience for John Cena and he thinks he enjoys being booed and lets that happen, rolls with it and states if he was more like Austin in terms of wrestling he would better but makes the point they are both different personalities. Pritchard says that there are some guys like Kenny, who he calls a natural and a ‘diamond in the rough’ and be a tremendous asset years down the road. He’s a fan and understands the business, some of the guys are in the wrestling business for all the wrong reasons, to be a star and you have to love what you’re doing.
Les then talks about how pro-wrestling has changed over time and Dr Tom states that what you see on ’Raw’ and ’SmackDown!’ is a minute part of pro-wrestling he states. Les and Dr Tom continue by discussing how wrestling takes it toll. Doc asks about wrestling being more about charisma and promo’s and as trainers, how would Tom and Les change their style of training to adapt or would they get out. Les would continue training as you still need a foundation and states there are wrestlers there now in WWE that couldn’t work elsewhere as they don’t have the talent and haven’t learnt the foundation of the wrestling business. They did one day where they learnt promotions when Les ran the HWA developmental territory. Pritchard says you have to let the guys know what to expect and why they are doing the basics, fundamental drills and having to know how to do a headlock and even how to walk, stand and body language in the ring.
Dr Tom then talks about his training philosophy and about in-ring work, psychology and promo’s. He highlights that all some people have to do is turn there head and look at someone to get a reaction from the audience, which he calls the art, the work which people don’t fully grasp. He doesn’t believe in doing excessive exercise and leave that to the gym and focus more on wrestling practice. Without the foundation, you have to do something else. Mark asks Dr Tom about which tag team partner he had the best in-ring chemistry with, Pritchard responds by saying, Chris Candido but he wasn’t a big fan of The Body Donnas gimmick, but was and still is, a big fan of Chris. Doc asks about Sunny (who left the team to manage the Smoking Guns) and she was replaced by Cloudy as their manager who he asks about. Pritchard says he last spoke with Cloudy at Chris Candido’s funeral and that Cloudy was the most horrendous gimmick ever. He knew it was something to ‘bury them’ as a tag team, they had to do it otherwise he’d be out of a job. His favorite tag team was the Heavenly Bodies with Stan Lane, who were managed by Jim Cornette. He then talks about Chris Candido again, saying Chris loved the wrestling business and would do anything for the business and that he was a guy who he loved to death.
Last question is about Ken Shamrock, who Dr Tom Pritchard help train and Doc asks him about his character in WWE. He replies saying that Ken is calm and easy going most of the time, but if someone antagonizes him then he will want to fight you. Pritchard says he didn’t think that his character in WWE translated that well. Les says that when he ‘hulked up’ it was comical and he should have done the shoot promo’s what he does in UFC in WWE. Dr Tom replies saying that Russo was writing the promo’s then. Pritchard talks about Steve Blackman, who didn’t come across as charismatic and that they tried to make Ken Shamrock ‘amplified’ but it didn’t work effectively. Les says that Blackman was never allowed to project himself in WWE, but did when he worked with him in HWA. Dr Tom says Ken was an accomplished wrestler and his role was to get him ready for the WWE as he hadn‘t been in there for a while. [Ken worked as a pro-wrestler on the independent circuit before fighting in MMA for the UFC, Pancrase et al]. Doc thanks Dr Tom for being a guest and that he would like to be on the show again.
On January 2nd, Wrestling Weekly hosts Doc Young and Les Thatcher were joined by former WWE superstar, tag team specialist and trainer, Dr Tom Pritchard.
Dr Tom wishes Doc & Les a happy new year and talks about watching ‘Raw’ and what it takes for wrestlers to get to that level. Pritchard states he started out in the business in 1979 and learned from working with veterans every night. He continues by saying that by working with the veterans it was, ‘on the job training’. Les talks about if he messed up a finish he was told about by the wrestlers when traveling behind shows what went wrong and being critiqued. Those training today don’t have the same opportunity to learn from the veterans. Pritchard agrees with Les Thatcher’s point about the lack of depth of talent today and states that the younger wrestlers who might have potential if given the opportunity. When he broke into the business he worked in Texas and California and was teamed up with Al Madril. Pritchard then talks about John Tolos who critiqued him after his match which really helped him. Dr Tom discusses Frankie Cain and that his wife got him the book and DVD about him. Doc & Les state that Frankie was a guest on ’Wrestling Weekly’. Les says one of his first big angles he was involved in featuring Caine, when he was one half of the Infernos. Dr Tom says he grew up watching the Inferno’s and that brings him back to why he wanted to be a pro-wrestling. Pritchard highlights he told that he was too small to be a wrestler, but Frankie Caine was only 5' 7” and that it’s not about size, but what you do with it.
He then talks about watching ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown!’ and states it looks too sanitized and don’t have the opportunity to go to the weekly wrestling shows like in the past. Tom Pritchard goes onto discuss attending shows and that there was excitement and electricity in the crowd during the big matches. Pritchard talks about being in Texas and attending cards promoted by Paul Boesch which featured Johnny Valentine, Wahoo McDaniel and Jose Lothario, that there was a solid underneath card too and he attended every Friday night. Paul Boesch calling the action and holds got Dr Tom into the matches and he talks about how this compared to ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown!’. Pritchard then goes onto to state that he don’t realize how hard it is to get an honest reaction from the fans today at the WWE shows. Les says it’s more like a game show and that fans cheer/boo because they think they have to. Dr Tom says you have to be a fan, really love wrestling to be good at it otherwise it will be manufactured, not real.
Les talks about Joe/Angle, who have their third match coming up at ‘Final Resolution’, in less than three months and Kurt’s been in TNA for four months so far. Les states that they shouldn’t have had their first match until April. Dr Tom says he tries to enjoy TNA but everything seems to be right now and there’s no chance to really build something properly. Les says wrestling promotions should build month to month and give him a reason to buy a pay-per-view and talks about a while back there was six PPV events in a short time period and who has the money to buy them all. Pritchard says that thirty years ago there wasn’t a PPV every month as back then it didn’t exist, but now every pay-per-view they have to get their money (meaning the fans) and worry about the next one, tomorrow. Dr Tom believes the wrestling business will never die but does seem the slumps and down period. He continues by talking about how John Cena is doing good in his role and in general, everyone has a big show every month and it has to be a ‘big show’ but it’s not possible every single month.
Les asks about current WWE Champion, John Cena and if Cena was more of a similar worker to Steve Austin, how much better would be be. Dr Tom Pritchard responds by saying he would a lot better champion, he was put in a very tough spot but he had the patience when getting booed and didn’t panic. He says it’s a good learning experience for John Cena and he thinks he enjoys being booed and lets that happen, rolls with it and states if he was more like Austin in terms of wrestling he would better but makes the point they are both different personalities. Pritchard says that there are some guys like Kenny, who he calls a natural and a ‘diamond in the rough’ and be a tremendous asset years down the road. He’s a fan and understands the business, some of the guys are in the wrestling business for all the wrong reasons, to be a star and you have to love what you’re doing.
Les then talks about how pro-wrestling has changed over time and Dr Tom states that what you see on ’Raw’ and ’SmackDown!’ is a minute part of pro-wrestling he states. Les and Dr Tom continue by discussing how wrestling takes it toll. Doc asks about wrestling being more about charisma and promo’s and as trainers, how would Tom and Les change their style of training to adapt or would they get out. Les would continue training as you still need a foundation and states there are wrestlers there now in WWE that couldn’t work elsewhere as they don’t have the talent and haven’t learnt the foundation of the wrestling business. They did one day where they learnt promotions when Les ran the HWA developmental territory. Pritchard says you have to let the guys know what to expect and why they are doing the basics, fundamental drills and having to know how to do a headlock and even how to walk, stand and body language in the ring.
Dr Tom then talks about his training philosophy and about in-ring work, psychology and promo’s. He highlights that all some people have to do is turn there head and look at someone to get a reaction from the audience, which he calls the art, the work which people don’t fully grasp. He doesn’t believe in doing excessive exercise and leave that to the gym and focus more on wrestling practice. Without the foundation, you have to do something else. Mark asks Dr Tom about which tag team partner he had the best in-ring chemistry with, Pritchard responds by saying, Chris Candido but he wasn’t a big fan of The Body Donnas gimmick, but was and still is, a big fan of Chris. Doc asks about Sunny (who left the team to manage the Smoking Guns) and she was replaced by Cloudy as their manager who he asks about. Pritchard says he last spoke with Cloudy at Chris Candido’s funeral and that Cloudy was the most horrendous gimmick ever. He knew it was something to ‘bury them’ as a tag team, they had to do it otherwise he’d be out of a job. His favorite tag team was the Heavenly Bodies with Stan Lane, who were managed by Jim Cornette. He then talks about Chris Candido again, saying Chris loved the wrestling business and would do anything for the business and that he was a guy who he loved to death.
Last question is about Ken Shamrock, who Dr Tom Pritchard help train and Doc asks him about his character in WWE. He replies saying that Ken is calm and easy going most of the time, but if someone antagonizes him then he will want to fight you. Pritchard says he didn’t think that his character in WWE translated that well. Les says that when he ‘hulked up’ it was comical and he should have done the shoot promo’s what he does in UFC in WWE. Dr Tom replies saying that Russo was writing the promo’s then. Pritchard talks about Steve Blackman, who didn’t come across as charismatic and that they tried to make Ken Shamrock ‘amplified’ but it didn’t work effectively. Les says that Blackman was never allowed to project himself in WWE, but did when he worked with him in HWA. Dr Tom says Ken was an accomplished wrestler and his role was to get him ready for the WWE as he hadn‘t been in there for a while. [Ken worked as a pro-wrestler on the independent circuit before fighting in MMA for the UFC, Pancrase et al]. Doc thanks Dr Tom for being a guest and that he would like to be on the show again.