Former WWE Tag Team Champion Dr. Tom Prichard was the latest guest of the Pancakes and Powerslams Show. Prichard had much to share about his time in the territories, training The Rock and Kurt Angle, issues with Sunny, and much more. Here are some highlights.
On what current WWE stars are missing:
“It’s always been a work, it’s always been entertainment, it’s always been show business, it always has [been]. But it was a moment in time and in history when there was kayfabe, and the boys protected the business, and there was an element of doubt. Yes, you might have thought it was a work, but that one match, that one guy you’d say no that guy’s for real. That’s because you weren’t playing a character, you were that character.”
On training The Rock and Kurt Angle:
“[The Rock] grew up in a wrestling family, obviously, and he had been wrestling a bit prior to coming to Stamford. We started the developmental program in August of 1996, right after Mark Henry had competed in the Olympics in Atlanta. [The Rock] came in, in August, and they wanted to get him ready for Survivor Series in November. We worked out in the ring everyday, and you could see obviously that The Rock was the most talented. But nobody could tell that he was going to be as big a megastar that he became. You knew he had something, and he was a confident guy, but a great guy. He could have a conversation with you and I right now, because he knows how to relate. He’s a megastar, the highest paid actor on the planet, but he still has the ability to talk to people. He’s not living in a stratosphere. He’s breathing rarefied air, no doubt, but he can still sit down and be human. And that’s hard to find with a lot of people.
Kurt Angle, here’s a guy who won a gold medal with a broken neck. The first time I locked up with Kurt, I said to him, I have nothing to prove to you, so please, if I go behind you, just let me go. Let me do whatever I want. I’m going to grab your arm. Please, just work with me. And he locked up so easy, he got it. Kurt understood from the very first time we locked up. And he’s relatable. You can sit and talk to him.”
On Sunny’s personal issues:
“I last saw Sunny in August in Charlotte at Fanfest. We did a Jim Cornette podcast together, and she looked great. She looked like she had her act together, and she was doing fine. I heard she was mad at me because I’d said something about I hope she gets help, and I hope that she takes care of herself. She misinterpreted it as I was talking bad about her. No, I wasn’t talking bad about her, I was sincerely saying I hope she gets the help she needs.”
Prichard also discusses more on Sunny, how The Rock got the Rocky Maivia promo, scripted promos, wrestling in the territories, and much more.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
