On his Road Trip After Hours podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long participated in a “Name Association” segment, offering his candid, off-the-cuff thoughts and memories on several notable wrestling personalities. The segment provided a fascinating, unfiltered look into Long’s experiences with some of the biggest and most controversial names in the business, from his early days as a manager to his long tenure as the General Manager of SmackDown.
Al Snow
The first name brought up was Al Snow, a veteran known for his eccentric “Head” gimmick and his highly respected work as a trainer. Long immediately smiled, recalling his early days as a referee in the WWF and the unique nickname Snow bestowed upon him.
“Al Snow, great guy. I had a chance to work with him when I first went to WWF as a referee in there,” Long said. “And Al Snow gave me a nickname. He started calling me ‘Bubbles.’ I don’t know why. And I saw him, I guess somewhere I just left some signing, and I saw Al there, and I walked right up to him, ‘Bubbles,’ you know. So, yeah, he gave me that name.”
Chris Benoit
The mood turned more somber when the controversial name of Chris Benoit was mentioned. Long spoke of the man he knew backstage, a “great guy” who would give you the shirt off his back, before recounting a grueling road trip the two shared.
“Oh god man, what a great guy. God rest his soul,” Long began. “I never will forget one night we were staying in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and we did the show in Green Bay… and we had to drive back to Milwaukee. And it was me, Benoit, and Nancy Sullivan, God rest her soul too. And I was driving, and it took us, I swear, man… 12 hours almost to get back from a 150-mile drive… Chris was just, he’d give you the shirt off his back, man.” When asked about the tragic end to Benoit’s life, Long declined to speculate out of respect. “I can’t speak on that. You know, Chris, that never appeared to be nothing like that. You know what I mean. So I just, I don’t want to speak on it, because I don’t have a clue.”
A Young Drew McIntyre
Long also shared his memories of working with a young Drew McIntyre during his initial “Chosen One” storyline, a period where Long was forced to be subservient to the up-and-coming star on-screen.
“Oh, yeah, great guy, man. Had a great time working with him,” Long said of McIntyre. “You know, Vince McMahon put me and him in a storyline where he was ‘The Chosen One,’ and he made me, you know, bow down on my knees and start talking about my grandkids, and so that broke me. So now I gotta follow the rules and do whatever he says do. But anything Vince put me in, I enjoyed doing it. I gave it 100% because I know what it meant.”
The Fabulous Moolah
Long had nothing but fond memories of the legendary women’s wrestling pioneer, The Fabulous Moolah, and her longtime friend, Mae Young. He described them as two of the most entertaining and welcoming people he encountered backstage.
“I had the chance to meet her. Man, she was outstanding. What a great lady, her and Mae Young, both of them,” he remembered. “Every time they’d come to TV, I’d run straight to them, man, because they was always entertaining. ‘Glad to see you,’ you know, made you feel welcome, man. So, yeah, Moolah was really, really a great woman.”
Jim Cornette
When the name of the famously outspoken and often controversial manager Jim Cornette came up, Long offered his respect and appreciation, stating that he values Cornette’s honesty above all else.
“Oh yeah, I like Jim Cornette. The only thing, the really reason I like Jim Cornette is Jim Cornette is real. He’s going to tell you just exactly how it is, and he’s going to tell you the truth,” Long stated. “A lot of people don’t like him for that. But you know, like I said, he spoke up for me one time, and it wasn’t just, I mean, me and him always got along. I think he liked me, but he knew it was wrong, and he spoke up for me one time. So I’d have to say, you know, yeah, man, thank you, Jimmy.”
“Mean” Gene Okerlund and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
Finally, Long recalled a brief but memorable encounter with legendary announcer “Mean” Gene Okerlund and his broadcast partner, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, during their time in WCW. The duo shared some prophetic words with Long that he never forgot.
“Great guy. Had a chance to meet with him, and God rest his soul, Bobby Heenan,” Long said. “I was in WCW, and they both were there, and they stopped me, and I swear they started talking to me. And I never will forget, Gene Okerlund was talking to Bobby, and Bobby said, ‘If Vince McMahon knew what you were down here doing, he would blow you up,’ something like that, they said. And I didn’t really pay that no attention, you know, because I’m thinking, ‘I ain’t never going to New York or nowhere.’ But they told me those words, and I never did forget them.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Road Trip After Hours with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
