Val Venis on What Steve Austin & The Rock Were Like Behind the Scenes
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 жов 2022
- Val Venis on What Steve Austin & The Rock Were Like Behind the Scenes
Val Venis UA-cam: / topshelfanarchy
Val Venis Instagram: topshelfana...
Val Venis Gab: gab.com/VALVENISENT
Interview arranged courtesy of Appalachian Championsip Wrestling
ACW Facebook: / acwwv
ACW UA-cam: / @appalachianchampionsh...
BOOK LINKS (Affiliate)
Owen Hart: King of Pranks (The Ultimate Anthology of Owen's Greatest Ribs, Pranks and Stories)
US Link: tinyurl.com/2ahedz57
UK Link: tinyurl.com/35rffufu
Canada Link: tinyurl.com/y77y627b
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: The People’s Champion - From WWE to Hollywood
US Link: tinyurl.com/mrxst8yk
UK Link: tinyurl.com/4nvke5wf
Canada Link: tinyurl.com/mu32uy8b
#WSI #WrestlingShootInterviews #WWE - Спорт
Rock was so graceful in the ring. That float over DDT was gorgeous.
Yes
Think the rocks in ring work is massively underrated
@Reality creator 666 kNOw DON'T b3LIEv3 that’s a perception I categorically DO NOT agree with. Rock wrestled EVERYONE from Ken shamrock to Kurt angle, he was maybe the only top star to work programs with Benoit other than angle and Jericho! He wrestled Al snow, Eddie Guerrero (before he was over) and Perry Saturn - all wrestlers! The likes of stone cold, HHH didn’t! As I say, Rock is massively underrated. He was also handed Brock!
@Reality creator 666 kNOw DON'T b3LIEv3 his character sucked and was pushed from the start when it should have been
@Reality creator 666 kNOw DON'T b3LIEv3 a while??? He became the second biggest star in the company in 2 years.
Dufuqq you know not giving the rock his due?
@@joelbritton4067 Both Stone Cold and The Rocks characters sucked when they first started wrestling. Then they both changed their names, changed their looks and grew it from there.
Rock was the total package. Didn't need a lot of his risk maneuvers or 20 moves a match.. He was still a hell of a performer.
You wouldn't call Rock one of the best wrestlers, but he was very good in my opinion. His sharpshooter was pretty bad though. It was too elevated.
Probably the least injured overall.
Right on
Val Venis was the total package, if you know what I mean.
Rock was explosive. When he did his babyface come back routine, you'd get goosebumps! He would fly around the ring like a cruiserweight even though he was a big strong fella. His punches and kicks were brilliant too!
The Rock was an another level. Confident as hell. That’s why he became the most successful wrestler when it came to post career ventures. Doesn’t surprise me at all he was approachable. He struggled before making it in the WWF. He can relate. I’m so happy he made such a fantastic acting career after, although, selfishly, I hated that he was leaving wrestling for Hollywood at the time.
Stone Cold was more popular, got bigger crowd pops and merchandise sales. He also became popular before The Rock. I know because I started watching WWF in 1996. That’s when Rock was in nation of domination.
Rock and Austin had two completely different paths that eventually led to them being the biggest stars of the Attitude Era which makes sense why Val Venis describes them the way he did. Austin is much more wounded soldier who's been through the trenches of the business in order to get to the top spot, whereas Rock comes from a generation of wrestlers and had a much more easygoing and likeable personality that would make him much more approachable.
Yeah you gotta think about it Austin had the phrase “don’t trust anybody” I think there’s a lot of truth behind these guys persona
Totally agree....austin busted his ass throughout his career to reach the top (and paid the price) ...the rock came from lineage ...I wouldn't say it was an easy path for him I'm sure he suffered many injuries but I reckon the rock had a little bit of an easier ride to the top than austin...
I mean there’s guys who had it easier and were dicks . Says a lot about the kind of person the rocks always been
Yes and that translated on screen too. You have 1 guy who fought and clawed every inch of the way to the top and another who had connections was given everything on a silver platter but ppl still loved him. The chemistry made that feud LEGENDARY.
Exactly. And also these days were still the rocks humble beginnings whereas Austin has been around a while. Rock was still pretty much a happy go lucky rookie just happy to be there.
If you close your eyes and just listen to Sean speak, he kind of sounds like a mellowed out Krusty the Clown.
Damn it man! 😩Now I can't un-hear that. 😂
Aha I hear it.
....and now I can't unhear it.
@@HauntedGarage31 Lol sorry man
Austin has been very open about being very protective about his spot. He speaks a lot about how hard it was for him to get top spot and he didn't want to let it go
He quit over losing the top spot....I couldn't imagine the insane thoughts of a man that's on top and sees the end of his run but thinks he has more to offer.
@@douglascolby2908 I stopped watching it at that point to be honest. Watched many podcasts about it being over Lesner and wasn't at the right moment. Also heard Lesner speak on it and say Austin was in the right so I don't know.
All I know is that he's been very open in podcasts about wanting to keep his spot.
But I'm seeing similar things now in the spot I watch and a player that's been on top for 20 years and isn't dealing well with beings benched
@@BodyFiit88 Who are you speaking of?
@@douglascolby2908 Cristiano Ronaldo
@@BodyFiit88 Thanks...Yea that dude has been on top forever.
The rock was an excellent worker, ppl can knock his wrestling abilities but he was massively underrated. Look at his matches with Benoit or Kurt angle when they had more technical wrestling matches. The rock didn’t need to be techniqually sound like a Benoit or an Angle because he was already an excellent worker, meaning he took bumps, knew in ring psychology as austin would say, and was exceptionally athletic for his size.
I think what sold rock was his ability to sell. Rock isnt in the same category as angle, eddie or benoit ad far as being technical, but rock knew how to sell his opponent and make look good ei hulk hogan WM18
@@kant5696 Rock was excellent at selling, he was so good at putting others over that even people all the way in the nosebleed seats could see him. But i think it’s unfair when ppl knock him for not being techniqually sound like benoit or angle especially since he was pretty much a Jack of all trades in terms of in ring abilities
Nah when Rock wanted to go, he could go.
Rock vs. Angle Vs. Taker at Vengeance....I think like 2002? was an incredible match.
Rock was never the BEST wrestler....but he was more than good enough to have a great match 8/10 times and his character work was maybe the best of anyone ever in the business imo.
You mix those 2 things and you get an all-time great.
With Rock , it was about the details In the performance and facial expressions. He also knew how to read a crowd and change on the fly, like his WM match with Hogan when he was getting far more boos than anticipated, so he started working more like a heel...it was so brilliant, it got those people back on his side by the end of the match.
@@kant5696 I've always said Rock is the ultimate jobber. Compare him to all the other all-time names: Hogan, Austin, Cena. Those guys were uber-protected to look unbeatable. Rocky got his ass kicked WAY more than kicking it. But his charisma was so undeniable he didn't need protection from looking 'weak'.
"The Rock and Steve Austin made 5 millions in one night at Wrestlemania 17. Never came of the top rope" - Jim Cornette
50 million*
Shitstain cost $5 million in 1 night with his brawl for all that everyone thought was fake anyway.
Well they did a superplex spot in that match, but still it's one of those matches, after its over, you know you just witnessed something special...
A-Fucking-Men!
Not even once.
Rock was decent in the ring. Especially for that time in the attitude era. Where it was shock value . ppl didnt care about 5 star technical matches in the wwf. They wanted entertainment.and thats what rock and stone cold delivered.
Rock always sold and did basic offense in a unique way
It was all about the storylines back then. I didn’t care about crazy moves at all.
@@thehound1359 Still don't care about those crazy moves to this day
The Rock seems genuinely like a nice guy just by looking at him. His wrestling wasnt bad, sometimes a bit over the top but he seemed to know how to perform the moves and rarely botched. As for Austin he seemed like he had an old school mentality where everyone was his competition and needed to make sure his spot was secure. Which is understandable. Hogan did it too.
He isnt a nice guy. He told us to vote for obiden.. Have you seen how that has worked out for America
@@SilverWealth_Draper_Mint Don't give a rats rump about your political views. I think for myself and enjoy wrestling, all I care about.
The Rock's wrestling skills were more than " not bad". He was quite athletic in the ring. And how do we judge that? By the reaction of the fans to his moves. Remember now, the wrestling was FAKE wrestling.
Rocky had connections with his father & grandfather. Pat Patterson vouched for him to Vince, Pat liked him. Rocky was pushed right from the beginning at a very young age. Steve Austin had no connections & was held down in WCW & in the business for 7 years+.
Easy to judge but you obviously don’t see the circumstantial differences, in how one has it easy & another has to fight for every bone given to him.
Yea with Austin I agree especially the fact that he was screwed by Paul Heyman and WCW so it makes sense that he supposedly acted the way Val did.
Anyone else really enjoying Val's interviews? I'm really diggin em.
I totally agree with Austin being protective considering how he was treated in WCW.
3:20 in Rock's defense here, he didn't really need to have anything more than a basic repertoire. He was already immensely over with the fans at that point, and with Taker and Austin both out on injury hiatus at the same, Vince couldn't afford to have Rock performing any risky high-spots in the ring. Without Rocky, who could believably take his place as top Babyface against top heel Triple H? Maybe Kurt Angle but that's about all I can think of. Benoit and Jericho were still firmly mid-card at this time.
Kane and Rikishi were massively over at that time too. They could have filled that spot if needed.
@@quentinkaasa47 I forgot Big Show too. And yes Kane would have been my pick.
@@jonbourgoin182 This was the year that Vince sent Big Show down to development, so the big guy would lose some weight and freshen up his ring skills. I don't think Vince would have placed him in that top babyface role. Vince always used him as a transitional top guy, but never permanently.
If The Rock had been gone for whatever reason, I think Rikishi would have been chosen for that role. He was pretty much what Vince wanted with Yokozuna, but as a fan favorite dancing babyface.
@@quentinkaasa47 Kane and Rikishi were cool but neither one of them had the mic 🎤 skills that The Rock had. Would’ve been hard to have them fill his shoes because of that alone.
@Rodney Depp They do, but Austin and Flair are the only ones out of this group that had the ability to go toe to toe with Hitman and Steamboat in pure wrestling matches.
It took Austin a lot longer to reach his spot then the Rock and he went through a lot more BS and "payed his dues" more then The Rock so it makes sense why he would be a little more "battle scared" and defensive. They're both the best of the best though.
Nah, everybody says Austin was super paranoid about his position. Even 'taker mentioned it.
It seems like it's more a part of his personality
Find his podcast talking about waiting for a flight to or from Germany and dropping the belt to (I think it was) Big Show and Show talking about him being really off with him and then running to Vince to get it stopped.
Austin talks about his thoughts at the time and Show being green but looking back, Austin talks about being in a bad place mentally and paranoid towards the belt. He admits he wasn't a nice person to be around at that stage.
@@KB-qk1ic which is why he walked out
i love austin but he had some demons early on beating up debra and being paranoid about his position
Austin had been paying dues since 1989, and didn't really get white hot until '98. And by that point, his neck and knees were already fucked and he only had a few years left in the business. So yes, he rightly protected his spot.
I guess Austin had such a rough time coming up, and going from WCW to ECW then to WWF/E, and then having the bad knees and neck injury, he was self-conscious about his place in the company.
Wasn’t the half of it, he started in mid-89 in the territory days living off raw potatos & sleeping in cars
Dude had to grind and he's the biggest star ever
When I die...I want Val Venis’s intro playing in my funeral it would be a bad ass song to Leave This world on.
My brother had it as his ringtone for a while
As a kid I don’t know about mid-carders and main eventers or jobbers, etc. I just knew people and wrestlers. Val Venis was always one of my favorites for some reason
Both Rock and Austin are great guys that anyone can talk with. They say never meet your heroes but I have met both, and both are amazing humble professional and respectful. Way better approach wise than most others guys who are nobodies compared to them.
2:01 The Rock had that islander blood thats why hes so chill.
Lol the man told you... "Don't trust ANYONE!!!!" 😂😂😂
backstage Rock = friendly like Dwyane Johnson promoting a movie
backstage Austin = paranoid like Alliance leader Austin 😆
I really liked Val's gimic, "Hello ladies" was smooth and funny
He was the attitude era Rick Rude
THE BIG VAL-BOW-SKI! Attitude Era sure had a lot of memorable characters up and down the card.
Am I the only person who doesn’t get why everyone says The Rock wasn’t a great wrestler? The guy was smooth as hell in the ring. Especially after his comeback in 2011! I actually prefer Rock as a wrestler over Stone Cold as far as wrestling skills go. 🤷♂️ He may not have been the absolute best in the world in the ring, but his ring work was still really good. In fact The Rock is actually one of my favorites to watch in the ring. The way he holds the crowd and how smooth his moves are makes his matches super entertaining!
Agreed man..i can watch his matches all day. I think what it was is how he connects with the crowd during his matches. Rock vs Jericho No Mercy 2001 ect. But story wise in the ring and the crowd invested would have to be Backlash 2000 vs Triple H 🔥
Smooth, quick, adrenaline packed. Whenever he was in the ring, the crowd was charged. I am talking about his attitude-era matches and I always liked his ring work more than Austin's too.
forgot about the mic, even just the wrestling moves of rock were also very good and his matches were never boring irrespective of the opponent in the ring be it some big slow moving giant guy or small/normal size guys..........rock had really athletic moves or may be it was just too good they way he sold those moves
Dude, you should release the full episodes of the interviews first and THEN release the clips later one by one, I feel like I’ve seen so much of the Val interview that when it comes out in full I won’t really need to watch it. Great stuff though, keep it up
Bit like how Chris Van Villet does
Austin and rock get along very well from what i hear. Mutual respect
Rock and stone cold should be in a movie as a good cop and bad cop😂
I haven’t been to a movie in years but I’d prob buy a ticket to that
Actually its true, the rocks in ring ability was similar to hogan in the way that the moves connected with the crowd easily. I dont know how they do it, but whenever the rock or hogan punched, leg dropped, elbow dropped, whatever it was. The crowd was chanting behind those moves all the time.
1998 Stone Cold Steve Austin was unquestionably the greatest single year any wrestler has ever had in terms of having it all at the right place and the right time.
Absolutely. Never lost clean that entire year. Only lost on PPV 3 times and always when the odds were overwhelming against him.
@@dukes1993724 you also have ti respect the guys who were willing to put him over and not complain
@@theonlygoodonehere2259 I respect his main-event opponents that year (HBK, Foley, Taker, Kane) but not for the reason you stated. They had no control on whether they should put Austin over or not, that was up to Vince. Austin was THE GUY in ‘98, if Vince told you Austin was going over you, that was the end of discussion.
@@dukes1993724 I heard guys from the past state they can ask vince to change up a script if they are major, or on top card, guys have said stone cold has refused to put guys over some times, but I have only heard it from few guys, so maybe they are ok with his gimmick being like that, and how protective over his booking he is, and how much respect they have for him, bc he won a ton, the rock put him over 6 times to his 2 wins, and people call that a rivalry somehow
@@theonlygoodonehere2259 Austin has refused to put over some wrestlers (only after he became their de facto best wrestler in ‘98), that’s true. But it was more him just not willing to work programs with certain guys because they just weren’t in his league (which was true, for the most part) i.e. guys like Mero and Jarrett. He also didn’t want to put over younger talent like Lesnar, but that was more due to poor booking and no build to their 2002 feud.
Love them both but Rock was my number 1 and those peak years he just hit a level of stardom that even went beyond Austin which you couldn’t imagine would happen at that time
💯
Everyone always talks good about the rock
not me he endorsed biden lol
@@MikeHunt-fo3ow, so...better than endorsing a racist like Trump.
@@MikeHunt-fo3ow Judging people off of their personal political views is ridiculous lol
@@MikeHunt-fo3ow atleast he didn't endorse Trump, that would've been irredeemable
@@MikeHunt-fo3ow like trump was any better lmaoo
DTA read his book
Thank you Val venis for the memories
At 1:13 when he said Austin liked to talk about uhhhh, " I thought for sure he was gonna say Austin liked to talk about Austin 🤣
Great chat, man.
This was a good one
Val Venis was solid. Definitely a staple of the attitude era.
In the case of Rock and his wrestling ability, The rock can “go” it’s just he knows what he could get away it and importantly avoid injury look at his rocky maivia days, he could wrestle but got hurt and when he became the rock he didn’t really have any injuries
Very interesting perspective on someone who was smack bang in the middle of the golden age of wrestling. Always like Val.
Val Venis saying the DTA guy was "a little bit paranoid" is funny
You guys made wrestling twitter.. "Steve Austin paranoid & unapproachable backstage" 😂 😂 😂
good to hear Regal getting his acknowledgement
Choppy Choppy Yo Pee Pee
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Timeless
Man seeing these guys, I'm really getting old!
I'm trying to image a scenario in which Vince sits Stone Cold down in his office and says, "I'm sorry, Steve. Val Venis is suddenly way more popular with the fans than ever before, and we're not sure how that happened. We have no choice but to put him over you for the heavyweight title."
eric bitch off fired the dude lol. anyone would be on guard
I think the word Charisma is what he was looking for regarding the Rock.
I feel like I’m listening to an interview with Marge Simpson.
😂😂😂
"Worst-looking elbow drop ever that looks like it's missed you by a whole foot...then your mouth starts bleeding" - Triple H 🤣
its the force..you know..star wars shit
@@Plexpara Agreed! 😄
it has the power of million and million of Rock fans behind it
Austin experienced the politics of wcw and had to create his own character without the push. Rock was given a heavy push straight away by vince. Makes sense why their demeanour was different
what you got to respect is... taker, austin, rock, got over without really breaking kayabe. now I look at aew and wish for kayfabe. its so unprofessional the level of opening up the business in aew.
I’m glad someone else mentioned this. They always had you interested in the character and the storylines. That’s why they were money
People just don’t know the greatness that was Val Venis. He and Sexual Chocolate were some of the best mid cards in WWF History. The Porn Star wrestler and Chyna’s boyfriend and the Gilf lover. 😂
Rock was the jock/cool kid in HS that made the dorks feel seen.
Val venis hit the wall hard damn 😂
So much entertainment from this guy.
I could definitely see this
Austin was a very good wrestler before his knees gave out. Ironically he blew up after his injuries
Yeah, the knees then the drop on the head, He could have gone longer. But I did hear that the brawling type wrestling he force to go to, fit more with the Stone Cold persona.
@@topher9507 Yeah the same thing happened with Scott Steiner. Look at his early days he was a high flyer.
Yea after he came back from that long hiatus in 2000, he is so bad to watch in the ring. Always seemed sooo wobbly. He did get a little better again after a couple of months tho.
he sucked in the ring
Dang Val be looking like Dominator from street outlaws 🤣
Anyone notice the omission of HHH
He said "top" guys🤣
Well he didn't mention Taker as well
I think val needs a slot in hall of fame
Val Venis should be on Stone Cold Steve Austin's podcast!
Always remember his opening entrance lyrics, HELLO LADIES. 🦈🦈🍻🍻🍻
Great insight from the single fastest up and coming athlete on the Brahma bull and the Texas rattlesnake.
Good interview as always. I fully believe that about Austin. The Rock seemed like he would be cool to everyone. Val is right about the Rock's in ring work.
Glad Val is doing alright.
Steve didn't want to help someone pass him up or take his spot. Understandable
I def saw that out of him. You see this with him in the Beyond the Mat doc - Austin was really an uptight guy
No surprise. Dwayne is just a good guy who happens to be oozing charisma.
Said a man who is himself very approachable.
The big valbowski🤘 hello ladies 😁
Idk if I would ever call Rock a bad wrestler. He wasn’t a technician like Angle, Benoit, Guerrero or Jericho for instance. His style was very “meat and potatoes” like Venis basically saying here. It was a lot of basic, fundamental wrestling that most guys are capable of doing athletically but Rock just knew how to make “meat and potatoes” feel like a one of a kind 5 star 3-course experience. He knew how to make it feel special. He knew how to make a simple elbow drop with theatrics the most famous and over
elbow drop in the history of the business. For that reason I’d really say Rock was a solid wrestler but he was a one of a kind talent in terms of psychology and character work. Rock’s greatest quality as a wrestler was his mind and ability to create whether in ring or on the mic. He just understood everything and how to have absolute, complete control of every audience. Like I honestly think his real superpower was having complete understanding and control of audience emotion and perception. He knew exactly how to get you to feel and see what he wanted. He knew how to get you to hate his guts. He knew how to inspire you. He knew how to get to you to see him exactly how he wanted you to see him. Perfectly. His ability to make you believe whatever he did and said was special because it was *his*. And again, the fact that his style was so “meat and potatoes” made his work very economical. Never had to do crazy moonsaults off the top rope or do any 450 splashes off of cages and every one of his matches at his peak was must-see if there ever was.
I get it. In terms of being an in ring technician he wasn’t someone like Bret Hart. But professional wrestling is about having that ability to manipulate an audience’s perception and emotions. The ability to get heat and get over. As much of it as you want, when you want it, how you want it, to tell the story you’re trying to tell as crystal clear as possible. And to the capacity, as “sports entertainment” I guess I’d you want to call it that for me The Rock is the greatest to have ever put on a pair of wrestling boots. He’s for sure my GOAT.
It’s the big Valbowski
I would like to know if Val Venis was pictured in a dirt bike book. When in school I would take out this book on dirt bikes and there was a guy who looked just like him. Then years later seeing him on wwf I thought "that's the guy from that book I liked".
That’s because the Rock was really number 1 in the company even when they thought it was Stone Cold. He was a damn mega movie star masquerading as a wrestler.
Helllooooooo ladiesss
SC had to fight for that spot for years. I can see where he was protective. I’m sure now he is an open book.
I'm shocked..yet pleased he's still alive...only because for some reason I thought he died like Rick Rude....musta been a totally dif guy..awesome.
Heeellllooooooo ladies! Fuckin love Val Venis.
Hated Val Venis growing up... Perfect heel character... Absolutely perfect
DTA! Austin knows the truth in any organization! - a post office worker
A funny wrestler of the Attitude era, Hello ladies.
Austin knew he had a special spot, and that his gig was unique at the time. He was protective of that. Let's face it, heels are more fun to watch, and probably also to play. Stone Cold Steve Austin started out as a heel, but he became such a fan favorite that he ended up as more of a badass "antihero" character, neither heel nor babyface. He got to do a lot of the fun heel stuff without being an actual heel. A lot of people resonated with that. I dont have the stats, but i wouldnt be surprised if he outsold everyone in the Attitude Era when it came to merch
Pretty sure he did those damn shirts were selling like hot cakes
@@20money17 It would be damn close between his merch and The Rocks.
That’s why we are millions and millions.
Val should go on the the broken skull sessions lo
Holy shit I would not have recognized him if he was walking the street.
Austin is The King!!!
Austin has stated multiple times that his guarded persona came from the abuse he felt like he received from Jerry Jarrett
No wonder he never wanted to work with Jeff 😂
William Regal, Dave Taylor and Fit Finlay are some of the best wrestlers ever. I can understand why he would seek their advice on the wrestling-side of the business.
it makes sense because Austin got jerked around his entire career and finally got his big break, but his body was shot. Not hard imagining Austin being leery of others and wanting to protect his spot at the top because he wasn't getting back there. Rock was pushed hard by Vince as soon as he showed up, but was a major flop. Re-created himself and was on top of the wrestling world while still being pretty young and having his whole career still ahead of him....i mean the guy left wrestling for like 10 years then came back and got the strap back
I understand Austin's being "Standoff-ish" too? From Stunning Steve to The Ring Master? Protecting that top spot and what he did with it? Stone Cold started as a heel but was babyface for most of that? But his character on screen and in the ring didn't really change at all? They say after the neck injury he wasn't as good? I disagree, he wasn't as active which made everything he did that much better. Him and those attitude Era crowds were on fire all the time. We were so spoiled back then.
*[Makes a sound like he's trying to hit the last, half an inch of a blunt, for a good 7-10 seconds]*
_WELLLLL THE BIG VAL_ - _BOWSKI SAYS......_
For his weird of a gimmick that Val Venus had it he ran with it and it worked 😂
The rock is a very underrated in ring wrestler, obviously not a Kurt Angle but still good
"Hello Ladies"
Hellooo Ladiezzz
Talk about …..”nuts to butts”…. in that thumbnail pic…lol. I thought it was a ‘real’ picture.
he had DTA on his vest for a reason.
He looks like Dwayne Gill now...
The Rock the biggest superstar in WWE history 🤪😎💯💯
Of course it wouldn’t be all peaches & cream when you’re dealing with the most badass SOB to every be in the WWF lol