Arn Anderson answered some fan questions on the latest episode of the “ARN” podcast with co-host Conrad Thompson.
Here are some highlights:
Arn was asked “Considering how involved Baby Doll was in huge angles with the Horseman, Dusty, Cornette and others, and being willing to be physically involved as well, do you think she would fit in with the current product, not as a wrestler, but in that role?’ Arn responded: “I think that role is probably gone. It’s probably gone forever. The girls have made such leaps and bounds as far as competitiveness and ability and quality of their work, that to just have a lady on the floor, a manager, a valet, maybe, who knows. Baby Doll was good at slapping the piss out of somebody and simple things like that. I think if you had that same scenario, whoever you put in that slot on the floor would have to be pretty skilled for it not to be a let down. It couldn’t be just a slap or a foot on the ropes, or pop up on the apron for a distraction. The business has evolved quite a bit since then and more would be expected of that person.”
If you didn’t have the injury, how long do you think you would have lasted and did the injury make it easier to walk away?: “It’s never easy. When I finally figured out I was never going to wrestle again, it was one of the hardest days of my life because it was all I wanted to do from 8 years old until 37. Everyday I would think about wrestling and everyday I would love it and I couldn’t wait until Saturday. When I got in it, I couldn’t wait to go through that curtain every single night and go to the next town and the next set of circumstances and reactions from the fans. Very few people in this life get to go to a job every single day that they truly love. It was never lost on me. Once I got in, I knew I wanted to be a wrestler. Once I became a wrestler, I knew I wanted to continue to be a wrestler as long as possible. Thirty seven is not that old in human years, but in wrestler’s years, it’s almost like dog years. We beat our bodies up and we can only go so far with getting patched. You have tires on a car and you get a flat and you keep patching it. At some point, you have to buy a new set of tires. That’s like wrestlers. We patch ourselves up and patch ourselves up until you can’t patch yourself up anymore. Time for a new tire. It’s a harsh reality to know, especially when you know it is not someone telling you, ok, you’re done. That internal voice says you’re done. Listen to it. Listen to me, I’m telling you, you’re done. Do you want to walk away from the business or do you want to roll away? Sitting and rolling never appealed to me. It’s tough for your internal clock to point out you are done and it’s tough to go to the arena and see guys going through the curtain every night and just wishing what I wouldn’t give for just one more 20 minute match.”
Arn talked about the Table for 3 episode that included himself, Tully Blanchard, Ric Flair and an empty chair and explained why that should be reserved for J.J. Dillon: “J.J. Dillon was one of those guys that was with us from the beginning. For those 3 years with Crockett, man, he was the fourth horseman. Then if we had another guy that stepped into that role, fine. But, J.J. was clearly a real voice of reason. A lot of nights, Tully would be pissed and bitching at J.J. and J.J. would calm him down. I just think that J.J. was so smart in a lot of things that he would offer match wise and he had input. He would organize our travel, and say, ok, we are going to stay here tonight, or there tonight. He did the real stuff that a manager really does sometimes. But mostly, it was bell to bell, you can count on J.J. to be right there where he needed to be, to pull that damn loafer off and swat somebody, or whatever we needed out of him. He was always there. He was a teammate and I will always credit him as having a solid slot with the four horsemen as much as anybody. That’s my opinion. I was there for virtually every rendition of the horsemen, with maybe one, and J.J. was a constant. He was damn good. He could speak well and was articulate. He looked the part. He sounded the part and he was an experienced quality talent.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit ARN (Arn Anderson’s podcast) with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription
