Hey afterbuzzers, before we move on to your next topic. We just want to say thanks to our sponsor. Anchor. If you haven't heard about anchor it's the easiest way to make a podcast. Let me explain it's free. Plus there are creation tools that allow you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or computer. Also anchor will distribute your podcast for you. So it could be heard on Spotify Apple podcasts and many more plus you can make money from your podcast with no minimum listenership, and it's everything you need to make a podcast in one place download the free anchor app or go to Anchor. Um to get started presented by AfterBuzz TV and hosted by Hall of Fame Superstar Sean xpac Waltman. This is x hawk One Two Three Sixty and now your host WWE Hall of Fame Superstar Sean xpac Waltman. Hey, everybody. Welcome to xpac one to 360. Listen shows I know we've met we've met quite a few. I think the last few merwe years away. I like to three years without missing a show. That's true. Like in the last I don't know how many months I've missed several so sorry, but everyone that, you know used to being able to rely on a show every week. I think we'd ruin a few people's commutes. She said it was kind of I don't like putting show. I don't like, you know, hey, let's have a show in the can in case I don't like do I like having the show's be fresh? Yeah, totally, you know, like once I make a show, I want that shit out the same day mmm, you know, and then it's out there and then that's it. Got to do another one like to you know, I mean, it's just I mean, I'm not--that's nothing wrong with that. It's actually smart have shitting in the candies. He's four. Weeks like that or like last but yeah anyways little bit about other build up its be dabbling how you guys doing good. I'm glad to be back. Yeah, right. Yeah. I was just in the Bahamas for a wedding and I was nice it was nice and just laid around on the beach long time. Awesome, you know people when they go on these type of vacations, it's like, oh we gotta go in this excursion. And get up hurry. We got to be here like fuck that right? I got go there to relax not, you know be fucking like worried about being on somebody else's schedule for something. So yeah. Sure. Yeah. Well, I just I mean not in again like nothing wrong with people want to do that. I'm just that's not me. I don't know not up for that activity fuck. No it was young married. My girlfriend's friend of hers. Oh cool the she knows from she works with this. Group called The Unusual Suspects ever tell you about that I ever heard about it. It's like the help they put on like Productions like plays and they go into like underserved communities and like even into like Juvenile Detention halls and and work with kids, you know, and and they at the end of it there's a big play and like everyone comes and it's great. Oh, wow. That's yeah. Yeah, and it's really cool to see the the CDs parents, you know, all these parents so proud of their kids and how you know, even the kids, you know, just to see them get up there and overcome like a lot of things like shyness or just shit like that. Yeah, of course you mentioned on one of our passions that you worked you did something with them along the lines of that as well. Yeah. So anyway, she knows it from there. I'm not real big on destination wedding, but it was so nice and relaxing. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, what else fuck? I don't know you but I watch Smackdown while I was there because you know my NXT people, of course, there was real proud everybody. Absolutely for everyone. Yes, Michelle stepped up to the plate and you know, The swing and everyone got on base. Yeah, the one you know that knocked out of the park little bit actually going to be honest about things and and then the people are into it and so I was watching a little bit last night mate because so I have Hulu Plus live TV now, okay instead of slang but here's the problem with that. I just sling man. It was just one problem after another with them. Hmm. But the problem with Hulu is is the feed as the East Coast like it's I don't get I can't watch it live. That's where I live. I have to watch her get this time zone. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, so I'm looking at Twitter and seeing the everything I missed. That's always the worst. I hate not watching something live. Like I'm in that zone now we're before this was so easy. I obviously I would always watch you know, the west coast feed but now I feel like I have fomo when I'm seeing everything happen on Twitter. Her and you know, you can't be part of that. Yeah, so and I read a couple people's comments on Twitter. This isn't getting over like it did last week and I'm like, oh, that's the Rocks. Yeah. It's like it's just not you know, and then I actually went and I watch a bit of it. Once it finally came on here in our market, right? And I was like, yeah, the crowd is fucking dead. It's almost like a fucking Nassau Coliseum crowd and then I looked up see where they were Nassau Coliseum. No, the crowd was dead. Pretty much higher show Dad in a Nassau Coliseum. Trust me for years all the venues in the New York City Market the Meadowlands just fine. The garden can be hard sometimes but still they get there with it, man, and they bring it fuckin asshole calls him. I don't know what the fuck is up with that crowd forever, man. Oh, nope. They're too cool for school. Cool, they don't want to you know, you know react to things. I just don't know but it's always been like that always and and I mean obviously, you know, the, you know, the reactions picked up a bit when you know, there are people that everyone's real used to seeing the real big red, but like, you know, For instance. What was it? Who's the guy that Mexican guy real good-looking kid their bachelor number two. Koreas. Yeah, who was he working with it straight profits. Yeah. Yeah him and the prophets against AJ Styles and Gallows and Anderson. Yeah, and so like the crowd not being into it that like affected my viewing pleasure. Right, right, you know, that's how I felt for the Cedric Alexander buddy Murphy match. That was when I really noticed it, but the thing that I the reason why I thought that the crowd was not really all there for that was because I felt that they were expecting a show. More similar to smack down and it was different with raw today. You know, they had you know some moments with NXT, but I think they were expecting more of the Takeover life. They had with Smackdown. So I thought maybe that was part of the reason but kind of Merlino. Yeah, it could be fun too. But on top of that it had to be a Nassau Coliseum. Yeah, right. Right, right. There is a few pops. Obviously when Triple H came out and they had the NXT chants. But other than that there was nothing else that was really sold it given the Brock Lesnar stuff. I thought was really good. Good at the top of the show, but it wasn't as well received in terms of like there was some really good. There are some crazy one-liners that Paul Heyman had on the show, you know it with the King and then when he called the the roster the b word and all of that so there were some moments there that you would expect some larger Pops that maybe weren't received. Yeah. Yeah, and I think I don't know. I think there's there's a million different reasons, but part of it I think is as far as the NXT stuff I think to a certain degree of like that's already It's already kind of you know, now that we've seen that on Smackdown. I think some of that freshness may have may have been lost a little bit now people might have been expecting it. Whereas on Friday. No one's surprise. Yeah exactly like on Friday. No one really kind of knew what to expect. But but yeah, how did you feel about the ending to SmackDown when Triple H basically sort of use the bowl out of the promo the right right. Call your friend call you blood. Yes. Yeah, I mean obviously You know that kind of stuff is a kind of neat, you know, and the people all knew exactly what that was. And so yeah, you know, I mean, obviously Yeah, it was nice because it as like an evolution, you know where you go back and you think about it and we had just talked about it recently on the show. So you sort of just see that Evolution from you know that moment to you know, now where he's leading, you know NXT and it really feels like you know, this is one of the things that I liked or kind of a moment for her exactly. He said that because it was it was a mint mint that and so like that's what was that was the coolest part about that like as you know, he Connected it to to that and so yeah, you know fucking am I supposed to say well I just figured you'd be watching be like, yeah, you know like yeah, it's a nice moment. Yeah, but I don't like to be that guy. I see that part right there. That's what that's about me. You know, just yeah. Well a lot of people were doing it for you online. I think yeah, so all right. Yeah, what are we doing today? All right. Well today we're If sewing so we're going back and we're talking about your time. We're talking about your time both in UWF. And the best of The Super Juniors. It's so are we going to clarify because there was a couple you wwf's at the time you Wi-Fi which was the shooter promotion or there was UWF. I hadn't hadn't come into existence yet. It was like sure they might have I'll fuck actually they did. But it was UWF was their original like tiger mask group that would tiger mask left New Japan, you know the history of that at all, roughly. Okay, and so they're in so this guy his name is Hisashi Shima. He was in this past Year's Hall of Fame. He was inducted the Legacy, you know. Most inductions they throw in you know, I'm talking about right so he was he was inducted into that and he's a big part of New Japan over the years and a kind of a business partner type with an Okie, but he broke up and he started this UWF with with with tiger mask with with syama and you know, they brought up more realistic style and Karl gotch was there and teaching, you know teaching all those guys. Guys, and you know everybody that came in and Russell there was supposed to have you know, a legit background of some kind and it but although some guys did like I think even Dutch mantell like I'm really getting off into the weeds here. But anyways, I won't go into that anyways, so it it had a pretty good amount of popularity, but it still died off and And then later again, you know the UWF reformed with a cure my dad, you know about him, right and then he started when it rings later on but I care my ETA is a guy that he was a frustrated New Japan heavyweight and then a lot of guys felt like they were being held back by you know, they are no keys and then Cho shoes and guys like that. Hmm. How much I had to do with him doing this but my ETA like he blindsided choshu with a kick when till she had like the Scorpion on somebody and like crossed his orbital bones like the anyways and then laughed and they restarted UWF got it. Why am I telling this part of the story? So there's that UWF all that to say there's that UWF that was submission style. And then so Shima the the old man. I was telling you about no disrespect. He's an older gentleman. This UWF I'm talking about was actually more commonly known as universal Pro, right? That's what I was when I was listening to you and we talked about it. I was a little confused on that as to why you guys were referring to it as universal Pro. So there's the UWF name was used. I'm assuming because it was still the Chimas. It was the son of his Sashi shin-bi. His name is his SATs nay and he was just like Really big tyke nice guy, but such a mark and huge Mark for Lucha huge Mark. So that's where all this came from. Hamada was the original main Japanese star, I'll ground Hamada. Well because it was also referred to as a grand modest UWF, correct? Yeah, right. Yeah. So I mean that's and and it's where Ultimo Dragon gained his is initial popularity as Just without the mask as you know Shiro acai, right? I was going to say that there was you know, essentially one of the really the first Lucha style promotions in Japan that featured dr. Wagner jr. Silver King L Tejano, Los Vinos, and then they had the up and coming Talent like Ultimo Dragon gado taka michinoku and so on. So it was pretty interesting to see like, you know, all these people that would eventually you know, yeah, so like the their younger Japanese talent that they eventually We you know, well the answer left and michinoku pro and this that and the other company but you know, so the the young Japanese guys were like you were saying is gate on Jada. They were called Bulldog Katie. Anyways, they had these weird names in these mullet Mohawks and you know, they were big huge like American wrestling fan like gate out here. Big-time American wrestling fan anyways, so those guys Massa michinoku who is great Sasuke hmm without the mask and bless his heart. I give you ever seen him without the mask. You'll know why he was one now. I started know to laugh or not. You know, that's sad. I don't think he looks in the mirror and goes Damn, you're handsome. Look at motherfucker. So yeah, so I you can also sorry I know it's all right. No, no, it's fine. Monkey. Magic Wakita who later became super Delphine and he wasn't wrestling yet when I was there, but he was a young boy and it was shinozaki who was a cushy mmm. and and even some other are you know men's Te'o Fuck I don't know a lot guys. Right, right. No. Oh, yeah dick Togo my first match ever. Anyways, I'll show you going so, you know, basically with this promotion this help lead, you know, open the doors for you know, what would become later on like Dragon Gate for example, Montour you mod as well. So it's very interesting to sort of see how you know, basically you had all of these guys under this one roof. And then you know, everybody made a name for themselves whether it be in Japan Mexico or the us but this guy know we sort of talked about this, you know, And passions but just for the sakes of this show how you got brought on to this and you know, your first tour Because I'm Happy. How many tours did you do in general my God quite a few actually. Okay, it seemed like what about once a month? I was going over there. Okay, and you were you are what you were, you know you were you weren't you the first one. I think you were 19, correct? You are still at GW f for the first was still the gwf heavyweight champion. So yeah, let's kind of talk about how that first all came together then go and kind of go from there. So I was doing GW. UF right, yeah, and anyways there's a gentleman and he's in one of the pictures that were going to show actually no, he's not in that one but there's a guy he's a rat he was a referee in the Minnesota area and also a photographer took pictures for like Japanese magazines and stuff and he is also the cousin of Gary just ER who's a famous NWA promoter Like local / like promote. He was the guy that promoted the town's. Okay. We should WCW that was the picture. We showed a few weeks ago right with you and Jerry Lynn. Yeah. Yeah that was in that picture. Yeah. So I've already talked about so Bruce kreitzman and anyway, so while Yamaguchi was coming through town and his wife his wife Wrestled a little bit. And anyways, he came to town and right at that time. I was still the gwf that was still the champion. I studied the belt and everything, but they had called and told me they couldn't pay me anymore. I had a guaranteed contract for $300 a week, which was my pay that that was my nightly paid. So I was at least getting one one night's pay every week. So they told me I couldn't pay me anymore and like even though it's like 300 bucks like that's still help pay the bills. So I need to fuck pay the bills somehow. I can't remember exactly how it all came together. There but Wally happened to be in town and was like, hey, you wanna come to Japan like real last minute and I wasn't I wasn't advertised or anything for this tour. I was just I come and have this one match in Cork and Hall and head itches anyway, so Yeah, we're in it was a thousand dollars whether it was like one show or for the week thousand dollars and when you're over there for a week at thousand dollars. I know people go like it down dollars. It's not you know, I mean and at the time it was obviously a lot more than the thousand dollars is now be sure. We get like $100 to beginning and that was what we had to spend for the for the make your per diem. Yeah, try to make that last for a week is just almost it's almost impossible, right but Yeah, so yeah, I went over there and I didn't realize I did high-flying stuff. Obviously you've seen some of the matches I had back then and but I wasn't a Lucha guy, you know, actually more like to Japanese and even a bit of submission stuff I was still doing but anyways, they put me in a match with he was called gantetsu suck a key. The tide but it's people now and now is Dick Togo. And I actually them up like I was pretty stiff and there I was really kind of nervous. I'm so nervous. I had a wedding band. I'm and take off that's a big deal. But you know because people just do that anyways, but wow, that's that's that's gado actually right there in that to know that it's is that I think that's six. That's dick Togo now. Yeah. Wow shit. So yeah, he gave me a great match and I did like all this stuff flew outside the rain couple different times and he caught me grey like then I gave him a tombstone pile driver to a table Shack with no one did that right step and it was this little one up you ever watch wrestling from Japan. They have these little really narrow tables and like all I can't believe I ended up pulling it off. But yeah, I gave him that Bro, you know put them through table got back in one by count-out which usually is a shitty now, but they dug get this. Yeah after a tombstone through a table. It's yeah, so they have me stay and and then I worked with him every night what on the rest of the tour before we continue one of the ways we keep all these shows for you free is by our amazing sponsors. And today Spotify is one of our sponsors on Spotify you can listen All of your favorite artists and podcasts in one place for free. You don't even need a premium account Spotify as a huge catalogue of podcasts on every topic including the one you're listening to right now on Spotify. You can follow your favorite podcast. So you don't miss an episode premium users can even download episodes to listen to offline wherever they are and you can easily share what you're listening to with all your friends and following on Instagram. If you haven't done so already be sure to download the Spotify app and search for AfterBuzz TV on Spotify or browse podcasts in the your library tab. Also, make sure you follow us. Us you never miss an episode of AfterBuzz TV. How did you feel, you know coming in as a young kid, you know to Japan and not really knowing what to expect. What was that all like did you experience any sort of culture shock like that? Because I did want to mention some of the things that you did talk about with family with that you talked about sleeping on the floor the long bus rides want to kind of dive into that. Yeah. Yeah, it was stopped because I mean the show the it was a small company and you know, it was respected, you know people respected it because it had a lot of great. Great talent, you know because I mean, you know got dos caras was there, you know Santo blue demon jr. I mean the Legends or something like the guys you're naming actually team heavy metal over there, you know are a constant sound brother of Negril Casas. Yeah, absolutely. Let's see. But yeah, it was tough. You know, like I was saying, you know, that was the pay I got and we would stay in if we had a hotel it was you know, it was budget, you know, that was Not the nicest hotels, they weren't dirty or anything but really tiny rooms and like the one place we stayed at like it was near that New Japan hotel and Shinjuku. We stayed it was called the B&B hotel which stood for bed and breakfast our business and breakfast something like that. But yeah, but when we would travel outside of Tokyo and it was all bus rides. Even when we went to Hokkaido, which is an island, you know where Sapporo is we drove the bus to send die and then the bus got on a fucking like a fairy. Yeah fairy. Oh, ah. Yeah, and so like we went to her like a typhoon and that actually are you serious? How was what was that like using the fucking boats up and down and they're so there's this like bath area in the in the ferry, then there's like a hot tubs and stuff like that. No fucking water. It was spilling all out everywhere, but they let you guys continue going through that like even though they knew that this was gonna happen, you know weather-wise. So yeah, I was crazy. That would I'm skipping around but that that ferry ride was actually where we're the guys had enough and decided to quit and start michinoku Pro because they like there are some shit. Yeah the money and like, you know, they were kind of fucked but you said that the Mexican guys were making way less last sentence. I was I was it like a dramatic difference or yeah. Yeah, or or some of them like we're getting similar to me. That should like we're Legends like fucking dose cart guys. I mean, I'm sure it does get a little bit more of a you know, there's probably guys are getting 500 a week and trying to make ends meet and what they were selling they brought gimmicks to sell merch to sell so that helped. Yeah. Yeah, we brought. I brought like imitation Zuma's like this lady and she also made my gear but she made she made fake Zubaz and Zubaz came from Minneapolis. So there was other people popped up, you know, MN Minnesota that made these cheap knockoff Zubaz tsubasa's were really popular and Japan they were a higher bucks a fucking pair for him. So I brought these cheap Zoo bazan, you know, I sold him every night and I made if you are. Stir box and it helped boy that was fascinating part of the story. Well, I've noticed that you always kind of find ways to make a little extra. Like when you mention you were selling geralyn's hair and now you have this so it's pretty interesting to see how you can like make ends meet. Okay. So what I was what I was getting to is like sometimes when we were going outside Tokyo for instant when we would go to down south to this city. Fukuoka and Hakata, which there's this famous venue. It's called Hakata Star Lanes and then we would go run that place and the crowd was great there loved wrestling there. But when we would go there was like 12 hour bus ride we get there and we would stay at this place called a King Cole and and it was like a similar to I don't know if you ever heard of a capsule Hotel the capsule Hotel, you know what that is? No. Capsule hotels like dog kennels, like, you know, there's some on top of each other and Apostle's like a no it's not even that it's like a real fucking you get your own dog kennel. It's big enough for you to fit in and lay down and it might have a little TV in there and made a thought up here. If you guys want to take a look too bad as I actually yeah, it's not but it's, you know, people kind of want their own rooms when they're on the road, but fuck we were just so happy to get there after 12 hours on uncomfortable. Yeah, so and they have like food there and you can get massaged and but that's that's the capsule Hotel the can't go in everyone sleeps in a fucking big room on the floor on Matt. Oh, wow, so you can hear everyone snoring and you know it go fuck right, so But we just I was just happy to get there and you know be able to lay down somewhere getting a hot bath and felt so nice to get in a hot bath. And so what would you say was the biggest challenges was it kind of getting used to being too like traveling like that and you know going through these long bus rides and then just not really having too much of your personal space or what other challenges did you face? Just you know. some of the guys spoke English but not everyone and I was the only American guy was the only you know So it was two communication was a kind of a little bit of an issue not too bad because Jerry Lynn was also there for a couple of Tours wasn't there for your first one, right? Okay. Yeah. Yeah and and that and then he came over there we teamed over there we are. Really good matches with gado and Pat Tanaka, which I love people, you know, probably never heard of those matches. But yeah, really good matches with them good matches. What gate on Jade? Oh Jerry and I like so it was like, who's it fucking new? Actually, that's the photo that we had up actually with you and Jerry Lynn versus gado and Jo for the Intercontinental Tag Team Championships. Yeah. Yeah. That's a picture. We had well, and we also worked with fuck was that oh, so we've just six man's a lot obviously, you know Lou to a lot of six man's and it would be like Jerry Lynn myself. And dr. Wagner versus versus Tejano silver King and dose can actually got to see that one. Valerie wasn't fucking silver King busted my eardrum right in the beginning. It's like a smack me in their higher jump still fucked up from really yeah, cuz I I was able to see that one of the things that I noticed for that one was he did a lot of mat wrestling for that match that was you know, very different from what we were seeing you do in gwf around. This is roughly the same time. So when you have communication issues, that's what you do. That's why you have to know how to wrestle to hmm. You know, that's why you have to know how to do you know that kind of stuff so you can go out there and even if you can't talk to someone you can go out there and have a little bit of a match with them, you know. Yeah, and you know, so You can never go wrong with a little bit of wrestling in there. And then you mentioned that you can add Geralyn was coming on with you during the second tour wasn't didn't make a world of a difference for you to have somebody that you're more familiar with and you know, it's sort of, you know along the same lines with you gets in their language barriers and all of that because obviously we were we were extremely close and in that so yeah, it helped a lot and have you wrestled any of those guys prior and any other places like this was off first times who were some of the people you were immediately Like impressed by anybody that you were kind of like oh this guy is going to be like something. You kind of do that about like a lot of those guys. I mean you saw the kind of had reputations already. Yeah, like Sasuke started doing that gimmick, you know eventually and so you could kind of tell okay, you know be a big star like, Delphine Yeah, I could because those guys started doing those gimmicks after I had gotten there they went from you know, monkey magic Wakita super, Delphine. You know, I knew I knew heavy metal is going to be a big star because just had this thing about it like this weird RI this Vibe like he was very very enigmatic. You know, like they talk about Jeff Hardy like that like he had that similar type of the thing. I see now you mentioned on our last show that when you were doing you are studying tapes, you know from Japan as well, but that some of the guys did give Sort of like feedback and things that you are doing wrong or maybe not doing the way it was supposed to be. Did you get any of that what you were in Japan? How did that all work out a little bit but still like I still kept doing the the spinning back breaker wrong with when I would take it like I wouldn't fucking feed for it. Right? Hmm, so it would make it make my opponent look stupid. Yeah, so but you know, but ya know I learned some things I learned how to do like ahead spraying and You know just different like some of the Mexican routines Ike. Yeah, just the stuff that those those guys do on a routine basis and and just I don't know. It was just cool just it was a great experience being able to train gazelle chain before the show's set what citrangada everyone was in not every single person but most everyone was in the ring warming up doing a little bit of training. And so yeah. I was cool to learn from those guys that any big differences in terms of how they prepared. Probably they were preparing for their matches versus what you are used to seeing in the states. And then also with the crowds was what Were there any major differences I think the major difference is that they were actually doing that at all? Yeah, because guys on the state's weren't really doing that before shows. Nope. Not at all. So yeah, it was just I mean they were it was taken away more serious, you know, you know like here in the state a lot of that as your own shows what guys that just do it on the weekends and they're not like, you know full-time like this was a bunch of fucking real pro wrestlers and you know guys that have been You know, like I said, they would legit. Hang on and you did several tours where you ever kind of like hasn't so like oh, maybe I don't want to go back because of it's so different or were you always like? Yes. I'm ready to go back. Yeah, I couldn't wait to go back. Yeah. I was just just loved it. That's all right. It was tough. And so, you know once for me came around and started I started spending time of fumi when I was over there like it changed everything like You know made everything just some just felt so much more comfortable over there the more because you had maybe someone giving you guidance. Yeah, you know developing a closer closer relationship in Germany during the Japanese wrestling better than anybody, you know, because he was like one of the top guys at Baseball magazine. So yeah, but you guys talked about your bonds together on the podcast and you know, spending holidays together and stuff like that. So obviously it was a relationship that was formed earlier on and you know lasted hey so, you know going back talking about acai my you know, my first show there was his last so it wasn't like I was on a bunch of shows with Ultimo Dragon. He was that he was finishing up that night and going to ask WS. Actually Great Kabuki was there with him actually a kabuki was a I think like, you know, he was like an office guy a little bit. Yeah for 10 Rue awesome. Awesome. Did you want to add anything else or do you want to go ahead and talk jump into the top of the Super Juniors? Um, ya know even just talking about how you know, when I was talking about that that ferry ride when everyone the typhoon. Yeah. Well, I mean, you know because business wasn't great and There was some money owed to maybe some. You know, like sometimes questionable people invest in wrestling whether it be in Japan or Mexico, like people that have no no no wrestling background. No, I'm talking about maybe a little bit from you know, the underworld or oh I see not saying that's exactly what was going on. But I suspect it and like there was you know money issues and Jerry landed. Not getting paid for his last show their hajjis. I wouldn't leave. Yeah, I wouldn't leave until I get my money. Like I was like, no, you're not sending a like you're not fucking I'm not going home. I won't get it. Yeah, what did he do? Was it just kind of like you never got it? You live and you learn? Yeah. Oh man. Yeah. So my last my last tour of their I separated my shoulder I fucked up and then I just never went back until Sony Japan, right. Alright, so let's go ahead and talk about that New Japan top of the Super Juniors 1993 from May 26 to June 14th of 1993. And this was obviously prior to it be called The Best of The Super Juniors and before the Jacob it was an 11-man tournament round robin. And then the last four guys did a tournament with Pegasus kid, Chris Benoit ending up winning that year, but there is a lot of notable names in this tournament. That's for sure some including Eddie Guerrero Dean malenko. Jooshin. Fit Finlay out summer, I yourself. So let's kind of go ahead and talk into how the opportunity came about and all of that from the beginning. Okay? so at some point around that time Road Warrior Hawk quit WWF and decided to go work in New Japan. And so it was decided that Hawk and Ken's cases sake we're going to become a team and they ended up being called the Hellraisers. Hmm. I was a really fucking popular team there to like it wasn't just our let's do these guys together and it was kind of half at like know they were over like A motherfucker. So anyways weirdly enough like there's this little bar like this is C naught 3 400 people Max. I crammed in there like the place that we like that bar that I saw the Jerry Lynn and I have that match. Yeah. Yeah that place that's where the Japanese flew all the way over here. Like because bread Rankin's, you know, I was talking about Brad a little bit before. Or you know, he was new Japan's guy over there. He trained all of guys like like nah, konishi guys like that like anyways and even Brad Brach. Yeah. It was a lot of guys New Japan would send to you know Vader went to Brad's so that for some I guess that's why they decided to debut Hawkinson and can skate at this little bar weirdly enough and so I was the guy that was making the match ends at the time kind of like the booker you shows and so I Jerry Lynn and I were with the tag team champions of the pwa and so I had and they said okay Ma Society those comments are him. You know, he's not he's going to he'll be on the show and I'm like, I'll fuck you so I booked it Jerry Lynn and I versus masahito and Brad dragons. Umm. Oh, I'm so you know how to really good man. Yeah. And then after that Masa brought me to Japan for top Super Junior. Oh nice. Yeah, basically that's I mean And this is the short version of that story and I know we talked about that in terms of you were already signed with WWE. So and know I was no not yet because remember you had that break in between laughter laughter. I got this gift. That's what okay. Yeah, so I don't give you can remind me as because you had told to be like, hey, I have this coming up and you know, they were where they perfectly fine with that had it's an N power. Okay, and also at the time I was Bring this show that I talked about recently, but we called NW a grand slam and it was Terry Funk and hawk in the main event. It was myself and Sabu Taz versus Brad dragons Sayid. Oh and Charlie Norris. Where's his nails and the hater Chris candido verse Jerry Lynn, Tommy Ferrara versus lethal Larry Cameron. Anyways, it was a great show. And so we were promoting that at the same time were you treated differently by like by New Japan now that you know you had this relationship with WWE. No, no, no making comparison, you know to your first time, you know with people and how they interact with you and started like I don't know because I never worked with New Japan at that point right now, but I'm saying like in general though, like would like it was hard to tell. Okay, maybe maybe I just don't know. Okay, so yeah, but yeah, that's how that happened. and Yeah, so and I was cool that Vince let you know let me go over there and fulfill that commitment and you were able to work with Eddie Guerrero one of those one of those guys that we you know at this point, he was already, you know killing a he'd already been wrestling, you know and AAA and CML at what was it like working with him, you know during this time period that was a little bit into the tour like like that was I don't know that was a couple weeks into the tour actually and I work with am I? My first Alex oblast and I'm I'm really honored to even like I've been in the ring with this guy, but my very first match of the tournament was with fit family and it was fuck. I couldn't even believe it. Like just you know what I say, I couldn't believe it was once I got in there with them. Like if y'all great he was in there like you just don't realize how great someone is, you know, like you can have a purse. Spective on how great someone is from a viewer standpoint, but on top of it just like holy fuck man. That guy was on a whole nother level. That's great. And he made me look amazing and he put me over and it was in a place called omiya at the only Escape Center actually have a tweet from you that you tweeted David Finley. You said I was in I was in the next one with your dad and my first match and you Japan was with your father carried me to a brilliant match in oh Mia. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah fucking great and you know, you know talked about. So nishamura had a match with it was okay. He was really new still and I potato the fuck out of him and he wasn't happy and I understood like I was I sorry Mary. I'm really hard with the clothesline, but the guy that I really had a really good one with it wasn't like match of the Year type thing or anything, but we just went out there and we're had Russell back and forth and even like the stuff we did like that you would think we would have called in them back was shit that we call it on the fly. It was with shinjiru Otani as really good that matches out there somewhere but um, but yeah, no I had he was just it was it was so good so good and we really had a good chemistry. I had to do the spinning back breaker right how to take it better. Yeah, and now that I mean it wasn't like a Wasn't that type of situation? Yeah, I mean We just had one match and so he he did more than his part in there. Like that part was great. I can't really say I learned a lot from him out there anything but he just didn't more than his part out there to make me look at you, you know, she feels different being in a ring with a guy like him, you know for sure you feel the difference obviously. Yeah, there was just a thing that week and it was from the first time I ever worked with him there in Japan like and even you know, Later on when I work with him, there was just a you know, what I was talking about with family or just a little bit ago. Same type of situation when you Actually feel a guy out there when you lock up with him. You know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah for sure and what I've always found so fascinating about like round-robin tournament is that you know, you you have to wrestle everyone at some point, you know, and so you're you're getting ready for all these different kind of styles and different sort of chemistry's what's it like kind of like going in going like okay, you know having to prepare for Pegasus kid versus having to prepare for someone like El Samurai or something like that. I don't remember hmm. I just remember going out there. You know having the matches and yeah, you know are hating the thing that you know at night we go out and get drunk and you know. There's a couple of funny stories. Oh don't start with me Lu Lu's over here. Yeah, where was I going out with the guys after shows? Okay. So there's a lot of that and somebody rip the fuck out of me to they put like sardines or something in my bag and like he's a you know and still to this day whenever tell me who did it. I was actually going to ask you about the competed against the rest of the tour. Yeah, everything my gear everything fucking stomach. I couldn't get it out. I'm just the smell. Oh, yeah, it was brutal brutal. Now one of the things that I do have to ask you about because you tweeted this twice a year apart was when you said first one we had was from 2016 where you said liger at New Japan top of the Super Juniors attorney. I shit the bed nervous and then again in 2017, when I wrestled lygren you Japan I shit the bed twice the what happened there. I just say like, you know, there's this there's this dive that silver King made famous out of the corner and he kind of yeah, like a vaulting fucking toe pay whatever whatever the phone I so like I went to do that on him and I slipped and he's just standing there waiting for me and he ends up having to like give me the fucking polite Applause. I guess a rib just I was nervous as fuck and a lot of people were like they had their eyes on that match to the Press right fucking this shit the bed for everyone and so when I when I teamed with liger, I actually brought that up. Might he was really cool about the last yeah. Okay. I spot. Yeah that that wrestling when I you know him at me and hurricane and I don't know what lose so I brought her out there about Lulu out there and and I shouldn't even do anything Snappy. I don't know she's outside. So if you hear something scratching at the door, that's really where were all right, let's go ahead and you just kind of go back into it we're talking about About you basically shutting the Bad and the bad and you talking with liger about this at WrestleMania at what WrestleMania weekend? Excuse me, because I had it all in my head all these great things. I was going to do it by match what with liger and his fucking bitch. What was it? You think I just nerves nerves nerves got the best. Yeah. So when you told him this, you know at the at the Russell kancho, what did he say to you exactly? It's just so you know is it was sue me sick. I was doing the you know, she is yeah. Yeah for the name. Yeah for sure. She she's Japanese female wrestler and she works and roh sometimes and she was in Blood Sport. Yeah, Josh Barnett what sport anyways, she was there and she was translating and you know, he was really cool just as I don't know it was perfect that you know, it's like you're just very gracious about it, right? You know, what do you do? You're really trying to make up for it after all these years out there and have another shitty match. I don't think it was as bad as you felt that it was. Yeah, but how did you feel wrestling him, you know in his prime I got sound aside from the fact. I was just you know. That's all that was. That's my only memory of it was fucking it up. We're trapped this place called trial amenity Hall. I was like this outdoor venue, which I hate working Outdoors. Anyways, yeah, and it was like kind of dreary kind of rainy if I remember correctly. So yeah. Yeah hate wrestling Outdoors. Fuck. Yeah is that because of the here what is a whole different kind of things like just whatever though? I'm not your fucking slave to whatever. That's a bad word EU slave but I got you mean. Yeah, just some people are going to be hot. That's JW concisely now, what a fuck anyways, I don't even say that. Yeah. Yeah, just hit the energy like, you know just goes up into the exactly. Yeah, but you're the sky six are terrible. Yeah, you know, it's kind of like the outdoor stadium like when you get you can't really hear a reactions and right. So yeah, just not a fan. Yeah, whether any differences in working the Lucha style at UW F. And then the New Japan Junior style big time. What was those? Yeah, it's just like it's a totally different style. You know, I even like I don't know where they're at. I mean the closest I had to in that style was what with Addie and he even Stole was like working more Japanese style. Hmm. When a Mexican guys when the Lucha guys go to Japan. They just they don't do lewd like traditional huto one and exact then especially because Eddie was playing Black Tiger at the time, right? Yeah. Oh not yet. Okay. Yeah. No. No, yeah. But yeah so much different. Yeah, just and I actually was work. I was it was easier for me because I was trained more along those lines. Mmm. We had similar training to like how they train the new Japan guys. Sure. So yeah. Remember I'll Samurai kind of had that a little bit of a blue chip feel to him. Mmm. I'm talking about. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and I had a match I talked about this but 2 cold Scorpio Students ankle and they work the whole fucking tour with a broken. Ankle. Yeah, and I'm the my match what them a broken ankle on or lag. Anyways, something like that, you know break down there rydym of the and especially for someone who works the style that Scorpio worked like that seems like it would be so like I've talked about this. Not that long ago. Actually it's kind of its kind of comical for for Scorpio even even being the Junior tournament because he's like 250 fucking pounds, you know, he would just hide behind stuff. He's like 250. He's not even close to fucking Junior at work and he might look like it from the waist up but man his ass and legs is like 200 pounds alone. Good home. So my last question for you is when you were in WCW, did you ever want to do another Super Junior tournament given the relationship that they had with New Japan? Driver crossed. So did you ever want to do another Super Junior tournament when you were in WWE given that they had that relationship. Did you want to know? No not never know. Okay Mama because I had moved on from that style. I mean I still did a little bit with certain guys if I was working with, you know, sure sir guy, you know, I don't know I hadn't met like we're working hoovy or Hector guards are somebody like that, you know, but I was I was pretty I was you know, I fancy myself a heavy weight by then. Right right actually put on packed on a bit of weight like trying to you know have people look at me as a heavyweight. Yeah, and in that but you know, I did go and do this Junior tournament while I was working for events for for wa are was that Anne was it I think it was O7 was it or no? No 90 it was in 90. 94 I think that's way off. Okay. Yeah, it was I worked I worked with an egg. Yolk. I beat my go Casas in the first round in the second round. I lost the gate. Oh, okay. And Jericho was on it who the fuck else chirico? I think he wanted actually like I post concussion syndrome at the time. Yeah, like I was fucked up after my machua gado like like I just remember waking up in the hallway with Haku. And over me and like Jericho's here different guys and haku's like smack me in the face trying to keep me awake. Sorry pass out because Vince almost didn't let me go to that that wa our Junior term. I'm jumping around all over the fucking place here, but because of my concussions. Oh, wow. He was concerned from for my health. Yeah for sure because the concussions in 94 so, right Anyways, where else what else will we? All right. That was pretty much what I had to be. That's what I had here. I don't know if you want to add anything something you think the fan should know the cool story. You might want to share or anything else that I might have not brushed on. No. I just, you know Hawk came over for the end of that tour because they had a big Budokan show and like him and him and system and Ken's gay worked with Jurassic Powers. They were called. I think I was like fucking earthquake and earthquake and fuck. I don't remember whatever so in Tony Hall who was ludvig borga. Okay. Yeah. Mmm, that was interesting but he got along good with Tony but he was fucking you know, like there's no way anybody would even employ him right today, right? All right. The way, you know his ideals and beliefs but Bobby Bobby Eaton beautiful bomb came over and he was there as a heavyweight as a singles guy and had great matches, you know, people don't think of him as it singles guy bike man. He's fine either way for sure. Absolutely excellent matches. Let's see. I think that's it a couple of stories. But yeah, I'm not going until we can get in the zone. Are you just gonna leave us all with curiosity? Okay. I'll tell it when it was we going out drinking one night and I can I think somebody found a go while it or something and it was like 300. But anyway, I think it was anyway, somebody paid for the drinks all night. It was a Hostess bar. But like some of the hostess were transgender and I just remember that being the case sure in anyways, there was some big interaction with them. We were all fucking drunk and we're laughing and fit Finlay. They're like Dean Abandon one rod drunk as fuck and one of the transgender ladies like fault fucking Father Like This falls into this bush and a fucking fucking big giant rat comes out and starts running out of shit. I'm circling around the lady. And anyways it I just somehow I just remember that like fucking sticking out my head, right? Yeah. It was crazy. Oh my God, what does she would get out of the Bush fast? Yeah. Going to say cuz that's kind of dangerous. You know, it's terrible. It was so funny. I actually did anybody think like hey, let's help her up. There's a rat there. No. No, I think she's trying to kick one of us. Who's huh? All right, I guess that's about it. In a big hurry to get out of here every week. So like do you think that the the stuff like The Super Juniors at the time with mixing American style Lucha style Japanese style. Do you think it was kind of ahead of its time as far as because I feel like we're seeing a lot of that today, you know. Yeah. Hmm. I you know, it's all kind of mixed together these days. Yeah exactly. Even if you go to Mexico like I told Todd I mean they're still the guy some some of the guys are still doing a traditional but a lot of those guys in Mexico are working a hybrid style now, right? You know, everyone's kind of Yeah, it's kind of like similar to MMA in the early days of you know, it was called no-holds-barred back then right but you know, it wasn't now everybody trains and everything, right? Exactly. But yeah, the whole the whole draw of you see was like What if a karate guy disgraced, you know and Taekwondo guy or something like that? Yeah. Yeah. Yep, the grappler versus the striker. Yeah fucking now. Everyone's a Grappler and a strike, right? Exactly. So, yeah, but It's been interesting and it's been fascinating to see how it's all kind of come together. And you know how the Styles have mashed and yeah, yeah, so it's and I look forward to seeing like seeing it continued to evolve because it is I mean even in the last few years, you know, I see things change and trends Change of like what you know what's popular to do in there and disguise a try new things all the time and we're able to see those things because of like fucking you know the internet. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. It's pretty cool. Yeah, we're gonna get spider in there for sure. Yeah, so I don't know when we're going to do next week any ideas. Well, I didn't want you to talk about your time in Mexico to maybe Can talk about that and we can brainstorm after the show sure our core we talked about how you know the style you were working in the WCW Cruiserweight division, you know stuff like that too. Yeah. Well anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed it, you know, at least of one stat because these shows like when I start talking about something like this, it kind of narrows it down to people that are just interested in that particular subject and that's fine. Sheila just spit everywhere and that's why I like, you know, it might get a few less views or you know our listeners. And hmm But it's it's cool. I enjoy talking about these you know these subjects. Yeah, totally. Oh and I do recommend people to listen to the podcast that you did with fumito was really good and it gave you know, obviously he has all the knowledge so, you know, it really tied in really nicely together. I think yeah, and I was cool just because you know, you get to hear me reminiscing with a dear friend of mine. Yeah, it's fun. All right everyone cool. See you at your next week. Weak now. We're ready Jeff. Executive producers Maria Menounos, Keven undergaro Sean Waltman and the entire x hawk 1 2 3 60 staff. Thank you for tuning into Xbox One to 360.
Sean's incredible time Japan gets the spotlight today on X-Pac 1,2,360! Join Sean Waltman, Denise Salcedo, and Ty Matthews for the chat. Sean “X-Pac” Waltman and Co-founder of AfterBuzz TV Keven Undergaro have teamed up to bring a podcast with a full circle look at life from outside the squared circle. AfterBuzz TV presents Xpac12360. X-Pac has many stories to tell that may help listeners relate, inspire them in their own lives, or just be entertained. And of course, there will be guests. So plan on seeing his group of usual suspects along with a mix of wrestlers, celebrities, and comedians. X-Pac has known and shared many road trips, locker rooms, and life moments with these guests. Where these conversations will go? No one knows, but we do know they will be entertaining. About The Show: AfterBuzz Tv's Keven Undergaro alongside Sean “X-Pac” Waltman bring you a podcast with a full circle look at life from outside the squared circle. AfterBuzz TV presents X-Pac 12360. X-Pac has many stories to tell that may help listeners relate, inspire them in their own lives, or just be entertained. And of course, there will be guests. So plan on seeing his group of usual suspects along with a mix of wrestlers, celebrities, and comedians. X-Pac has known and shared many road trips, locker rooms, and life moments with these guests. Where these conversations will go? No one knows, but we do know they will be entertaining. With X-Pac, guests are just friends hanging out having a chat about old times and new frontiers. Listening to these conversations will make you feel like you are a fly on the locker room, green room, or bar wall. ---   This episode is sponsored by  · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. 