BJ Bethel sent the following.
Chairshots Radio, with Rod Siciliano
and Brent Fusaro, is broadcasted live on 88.1 FM WBLQ out of Westerly,
Rhode Island weekly on Thursday nights from 6 PM to 7:30 PM. You can listen
to the shows entire archive on Real Audio later that night. You can check
out their website at http://www.chairshots.com/.
Tom Zenk
-Tom says he started out as a bodybuilder
before becoming involved in pro wrestling. He was Mr. Minnesota and Mr.
Twin-Cities. At one event, Animal from the Road Warriors was there judging
and said something to him about giving pro wrestling a shot. He saw how
well guys like Rick Rude, Road Warriors, Barry Darsow and other Minnesota
guys were doing, so he gave it a shot.
-He wrestled in Bill Watts' promotion
(either the UWF, or Mid-South depending on the time he started) for ten
days to start. He had to leave due to a situation with his family. He then
went to Verne Gagne and talked to him about wrestling in the AWA. The AWA
worked him hard at the start, wanting to check his attitude. A lot of people
had a false idea that he was a primadonna, but he proved them wrong by
having respect for the business.
-Talked about the Can-Am Connection
days, when he and Rick Martel were paired together as a tag team in the
WWF. He says Martel lied about the reasons he left the WWF and called him
a quitter. Zenk says he left due to money and contracts, as well as problems
with the road agents. Says he was the first guy to ever say no to Vince.
He only met Vince McMahon twice while he was there and that he couldn't
believe how bad the money was for the size of the promotion.
-Talked about how the road agents gawked
at him. He decided to just leave the company instead of punching them in
the mouth. Said he never felt more uncomfortable in his life and treated
so "sh**-ily".
-Says that Vince only started paying
money when he had to, because Bischoff was giving guys all the money they
wanted.
-Talks about his experiences in Japan
working with Danny Kroffat, Johnny Ace and others. Says he was happy over
there. He then went to WCW, where he ran into the "southern click." Talks
about Ric Flair and the other older guys in control, and how bad they got
treated by them, and how it affected his career as well as those of Shane
Douglas, Pillman, Ace and others. He only worked one match with Ric Flair,
when he was a babyface, and Flair sold more for Vince Russo then he sold
for him.
-Talked about Brian Pillman and said
he was fantastic in the ring and out of it. He teamed with Pillman shortly
and the two were known for their great high spots, but Ole Anderson was
named booker and broke them up. Said he doesn't believe Pillman would want
to be remembered as some kind of cult hero like he is now. He wondered
why WCW and the WWF don't take care of Pillman's family instead of the
HWA doing a show for them once a year.
-Talked about a WCW official in Australia
on October 9th telling someone in the press that "no one in WCW uses drugs."
lol
-Says that maybe the WWF was covering
its tracks concerning Pillman and his problems when they interviewed his
wife on RAW the day after he died.
-Is currently managing a production
arm of a multi-national company in Minnesota. Is very happy with
what he's doing, and likes not having to deal with the backbiting and ass
kissing in the wrestling business, even though he very much enjoyed wrestling.
-Says that the wrestling world is currently
in a downward spiral.
-Believes that Brad Siegel and Vince
McMahon are "tweaking" Bischoff about the whole WCW buyout.
-Says he was a mark for Rick Martel's
ring work, and all the athletic ability back then. You couldn't see anything
through it like you do now. Says that athletic ability is currently missing
in wrestling.
-His website is http://tomzenk.com/.
Be sure to check it out.
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