The saddest thing of all is I hear WWE guys like CM Punk talk about wrestling using Meltzer's jargon of "workrate" and "5 star matches" with utter seriousness. Too many of today's wrestlers were raised on Meltzer ridiculous notions on wrestling...which is why wrestling has been dying the last 10 years, because all the workers are marks and the marks are the workers.
Some of these comments are ridiculous. Pay attention to what Ole says and when he says it. Ole is an older man. Older men like to tell stories to young people about how it was during their day. Notice how Ole leads Meltzer into asking a specific question and then proceeds to answer it in depth. Am I the only one here who's been around old people?
So? This also isn't a era in which living for a longtime means much of anything. 100 years ago if you were Ole's age it had some value now just about every asshole can make it to 90+ yrs. The idea of listening to elders for wisdom etc.. had some merit when living that long was very rare.
The whole interview is Dave Meltzer arrogantly teaching Ole Anderson about the pro wrestling business, and disrespecting him every step of the way. Cranky or not Ole deserved much better and much more respect.
+The Sports Fix it seemed to me more like Ole clearly schooling Dave on how wrestling was in the 50s, and Dave trying to talk to Ole how wrestling is *now*. Granted, Dave Meltzer's biggest flaw has always been he's a writer/reporter, not an interviewer -- when he talks to people who like him and want to talk to him it's fine, but he *never* does a good job with a hostile interview, and this was clearly that. Ole Anderson is one of the great classic wrestlers of all time, but don't forget, he one one of those people in the big list of guys who had the chance to book WCW and tanked it. He is definitely stuck in a mode where he really wishes wrestling was the way it used to be and has long since given up on it, and just wants to ignore everything that happens since 1994.
read his book. Jim herd,ole's executive boss at the time,was a huge problem to any booker. remember,herd suggested flair becomes spartacus! tons of the crap on tv was his idea. every single guy who ever talked about herd said he had no clue about wrestling but would force his ideas anyway,so it isnt entirely ole's fault.
Ole is so bitter that WCW was a failure when he was running things that he can't even admit that it was a huge success after he was fired. Ole was the brains behind legendary bombs like "The Black Scorpion" and ROBOCOP saving Sting from The Four Horsemen during a match. It was laughably bad.
Brickyard Road by Johnny VanZant. He wrote it for his brother who died in the Skynyrd plane crash. I was excited when I finally could make out which song it was.
I hear you...but pick up his book. Ole is a very smart guy and has a very strong understanding and appreciation for the art of wrestling and booking which shines through far more than the bitterness in the book. While he does advocate some outdated notions, a good 60-70% of what he says are things wrestlers, writers, bookers today could learn a lot from.
Seeing the comments below I feel like saying: 1. Meltzer might rub you as a know-it-all, but that doesn't mean his individual points are wrong. 2. Obviously, Hogan made massive money for WCW at one time. Ole not knowing that very much hurts his credibility.
WCW still stunk for the first 2 years Hogan was there (spring of '94 to spring of '96). It was Hall, Nash and the NWO "concept" that gave WCW it's biggest sucess. Hogan was a piece of that puzzle, but not the cornerstone that he was from '84 to '92.
@@sinicalypse lol with that logic somebody selling bootleg cassettes of wrestling for 1 cent a piece would be making more money then some guys out of the business, do you think that really make them smarter?
What Ole is saying is relatively simple: if you could put on great wrestling matches on a consistent basis, he thinks you were good. The territory system helped make wrestlers money all over the country and all over the world. Now that Vince McMahon has a stranglehold on the business, it has resulted in just about everything else dying, as far as territories go. That's what Ole is saying.
Name of the song is "Brickyard Road" by Johnny Van Zant. It was a tribute to his brother the late great Ronnie Van Zant from Lynyrd Skynyrd who died in the October 20th, 1977 plane crash.
Dave Meltzer sabotaged his own interview either because he is entirely full of himself and thinks he's an expert or because he dislikes Ole. A three word answer by Ole doesn't deserve to be cut off in mid-sentence by Meltzer's jock sniffing rambling that goes on forever. I'm surprised that Ole didn't just completely go off on him and quite a few times I was wishing that he would have. Any way you slice it, Ole deserves to be in ANY wrestling Hall Of Fame. He was what a wrestler is supposed to be and more. I know because unlike a great many people, I watched him twice a week. He was a mean, surly heel and could wrestle his ass off and get heat. He was also great on the the. I would disagree with many of you about some of his booking. However, I don't know too many wrestlers who made it into the HOF based on their booking skills. Just based on what he did in the ring he should be in there. If Arn is in the HOF or ever is put in there, then Ole should have been there first. The Minnesota Wrecking crew, especially Ole, drew money with everyone. So did the 4 Horsemen. He was huge in both.
Ole is many things but clueless about wrestling isn't one of them. You're just like Meltzer. You ask your own rhetorical questions and then you answer them yourself as opposed to listening to another point of view.
***** Eric's "Karate skills" didn't want any fucking part of ole or any of the boys. That's why he usually fired them through the mail. ....and you see how well firing the old timers who actually knew how to draw money worked out for Bischoff, right? Then he and Hogan and Russo went to TNA and ruined any chance at legitimacy they ever had too--but that was Jarrett and Dixie's fault for hiring the bastards when they had a proven track record of getting companies closed down.
***** I think there was a chance for it to have been successful had they just had people in charge who knew what they were doing. You could solve poverty in third world countries for the amount of money her daddy has put into that company. Surely some wrestling people running it would have made it successful.
The “old guy ” you said is Ole Anderson, guy who’s pictured here in the video. Longtime Heel ( Bad Guy) in the Wrestling business in the old days before Vince McMahon & the WWF ran a Monopoly on Wrestling. The other guy talking here is Dave Meltzer, Wrestling “journalist” who back in the Pre Internet Glory Days started the Wrestling Observer, a newsletter for fans who before the mid to late 90s when the way the whole wrestling operation & business was run wasn’t known much at all to the average fan but what Meltzer would do is smarten up the fans on not only what went on behind the scenes but how Wrestling storylines would come together and who was what and how come. I could probably further drag out many more paragraphs but that’s the old Long story...short.
He's a schmuck. What a wasted interview series. I wish I could've done it. Just let Ole talk. He's a fading, irreplaceable wrestling treasure...and we're listening to Melzer.
They're arguing about Hulk Hogan being able to or not being able to draw money in WCW but he was old by then. You can't expect someone that old to carry a promotion long term.
They're both right about Hogan drawing WCW money. When Hogan first debut in WCW he wasn't the draw he was in WWF because people had already grew tired of his act. He then turned heel and the rest his history.
Dave Meltzer like him or not is one of the most knowledgable wrestling historians alive today, and Jim Cornette has even stated that fact multiple times. But the problem with Dave is that when it comes to analyzing the product he thinks he is far superior than anyone else. Ole, the contankerus old bitter fart that he is, is another brilliant mind about the the business that makes very good arguments about the business. As much as Ole seems to hate just about everyone, I think it was still obvious that he enjoyed his interaction with Meltzer. At the end of the day, as a wrestling fan, I enjoyed the heck outta listening to these 2 go back and forth.
Interesting how far wrestling has evolved from what Ole considers Pro Wrestling. Either its the purely shoot version (UFC) or the worked to the core version WWE. Had he known Japanese he would have worked better with Inoki's vision of Pro-wrestling.
How Ole has an argument about Hogan not drawing in WCW when he said himself he wasn't around the product at that time is complete stupidity on his behalf.
When did Hogan go to WCW Meltzer? It was 1993. WCW didn’t do any good business until Scott Hall and Kevin Nash came in and were treated as if the WWE sent them to invade WCW. Nash and Hall should get more credit than Hogan. After that guys from the WWE were bailing for the Money at WCW.
Funny, but say what you will, Ole knows more about the business in one finger than many do now! He just tells it as is and people don't like it, or can handle it!
WCW was good at selling angles. When they pushed the Giant as Andre the Giant's son comming for revenge upon Hogan for beating his dad at Wrestlemania 3 it was nearly believable and drew numbers kinda like when they had folks believing Hall & Nash were sent by Vince to start a war and take over WCW. It's a shame that when WWE guys came to WCW they all but quit pushing Sting as their top guy. Sting had potential that got kinda burried there. The NWO was definately what put WCW on top though.
He certainly wasn't until he turned and joined Hall and Nash. His first PPV there he did well, but the buy rates went back to normal quick. That's why they had to do that stupid Flair retirement thing.
Not really when Hogan first came to the WCW his feud with Ric Flair that WWE & Vince McMahon could never produce when Flair was in WWE a few years earlier happened. That was a huge feud at the time, the match that everyone wanted to see for 10 years nobody thought would ever happen. That first match Flair vs Hogan was one of the most important matches in wrestling history but won't get the credit it deserves because WWE owns the history and that was the big one McMahon couldn't deliver.
Meltzer answers his own questions and disproves what hes saying in doing so... i.e Hulk hogan was huge after vern and vince worked on him, yet when he went to wcw and the character they had created run its course, he was unable to continue to be right at the top. Thats disproving his point that hogan was particularly special on his own, what arn was pointing out, was that very clever people can make stars out of people. Thus there are many other potential hulk hogans out there, but nobody is creating them. Thats not to say that terry bolea isnt a very good entertainer, its just very good entertainers in that industry require people to use them correctly. And just for the record, the idea that The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, triple H, arent a draw now because they run their course, is borderline insanity. Those particular people, who were pushed and created by the very best, are the biggest draw there is, still today. But its because they stayed in wwe, and stayed at the top, hogans profile diminished as wcw got worse, then boosted again in wwe, then he went to tna, which lowered his profile again. Rock, austin, triple h always stayed in the prime time
Ole never made it to the heights of Flair, Hogan, or even Arn & he gave the reason himself: he was only in the biz to make enough money to retire early. Guys who make it in wrestling are the ones that truly love the biz, and truly love to entertain the fans. Love them or hate them, Hogan and Flair continue to draw money to this day & Ole is a bitter old man that no one talks about.
Ole made nothing BUT MONEY for 20 yrs as leader of NWA tag team title holders, Minnesota Wrecking Crew, then Horseman drama, etc. I watched him live as a kid generate heat like no one would believe now...I'm talking about old lady knifing him in the aisle in Greensboro in the '70s and an assault where he and Gene pummeled a drunk guy who crossed over flimsy rope barrier to intercept them on way back to dressing room. Happened eight feet in front of me. Guy still getting treated 15 minutes later as lights were up and people began filing out. That crap happened weekly across Carolinas, as kayfabe was never broken and huge percentages believed it was all real. Magic! I haven't watched in over 25 years.
Ole aint gonna give hulk no credit for nothing or flair I'm. Not a huge hogan fan but u can't say he was not one of the biggest names of biggest ever and that he didn't draw money just saying hogan drew money better than anybody back then
@TheDalinkwent Turning heel when he did was one of the few things I can commend Hulk Hogan for because he was against the idea of doing that for such a long time.He was concerned about losing his comfort zone in terms of the money he drew as a babyface,in my opinion.Typically,your average heel's merchandise sales are dramatically lower,but having a name like Hulk Hogan in the New World Order has a way of changing the landscape.
Ole went down to Georgia to see if there was money to be made. He wouldn't referee or haul the ring He joined the business to get paid. If you want to keep me write the check. If we can't draw money you can go to heck To Vince McMahon I say, "fuck you" To his lady wife it's "fuck you too".
I disagree. Wrestling journalism is different. If you just "interview and ask questions", a wrestler, who's life is about working people, will bullshit you into oblivion. Dave Meltzer is a real journalist; if he wanted to be Bill Apter, he would have been. Ole is sitting there saying Hogan was never successful after he left the WWF, which is 100% wrong. Meltzer was right to correct him on that. The truth is more important than who lived the business and who just covered it.
Meltzer is smoking crack. Hogan wasnt drawing money in WCW. Look at Starrcade 94. Did Hogan VS The Butcher draw money? No. Hall and Nash came along and THEY drew money. Hogan just rode their coattails
His first show drew a good buyrate, but after that they went back to normal. That's why they had to do the retirement match with Flair at Halloween Havoc.
Wrestling according to Ole: Hulk Hogan was worthless, Ric Flair couldn't work, Ole was only in it to make money, but he's angry about not being in the Hall of Fame. These are the types of irrational people that populate the lower tiers of every business. Don't make-up bitter nonsense if you are having trouble reaching your goals. Look at the world, see who is succeeding, ADMIT that they are, then try to learn from it. Be honest with yourself and work hard and you won't end up like Ole Anderson.
THIS IS A DOUBLE STANDARD FLAIR MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO MORE IN THE RING THEN HOGAN BUT THE REALITY IS FLAIR IS EXTREMELY PREDICTABLE AND IF YOU SEEN ONE YOU SEEN ALL OF HIS MATCHES
I don't know why everyone is bagging on Ole so hard. He's lived the business. He should know what he's talking about. Does he value his own opinion? Of course he does. We all do. But who sounds more like the know-it-all windbag in this conversation? Meltzer does. I understand he has covered the business for over 30 years, but he hasn't LIVED the business. He talks too damn much. Instead of putting over his own opinion, he should just interview and ask questions, like a journalist.
Touche, to a point. I agree with you that you shouldn't let a bullshitter off the hook for re-writing things the way they wanna tell them. True. But Meltzer is still coming off "know-it-all" versus "well, according to the record books", even when he prefaces with "according to the record books". It's very annoying. That's what I meant. Plus, he hardly let Ole finish a thought before interrupting with HIS opinion, after asking a question. That's when the asshole in Ole came out. Just my opinion.
His reasoning is 95% of Ric Flair's matches follow the same template, which is true. It worked for Ric because he was on the road a lot, but it wouldn't translate to a single territory.
yes he did and flair but over time its started to go down because fans want to see more and variety and hogan and flair both got stale , im not knocking there work i think to be theyre ages and still wrestling is a blessing
Yes Ole, embrace the Hate. It gives you power. It makes you stronger........
Haha!!!
i've always found hate to be a great motivator
...it gives you focus. I see what you did there...😏
Bruh you’re acting like you’re telling him something he doesn’t know. He’s been hating pretty much everyone since he was born 😂
I love when Ole starts hitting Dave with sarcasm. Ole truly is awesome.
No he isn't . Meltzer is a tool at times but Ole is a stubborn POS who thought Undertaker and Flair weren't draws
"dave meltzer interviews dave meltzer" that should have been the title of the video
i love ole's sarcasm! truly incredible XD
I love how Ole's radio just randomly plays in the background. Total "hillbilly long drive to the next town type music"
Hahahaha facts!
lol, really though this was the eyada radio stream days, the music queues would play forever until they went to commercial. used to listen it live.
The saddest thing of all is I hear WWE guys like CM Punk talk about wrestling using Meltzer's jargon of "workrate" and "5 star matches" with utter seriousness. Too many of today's wrestlers were raised on Meltzer ridiculous notions on wrestling...which is why wrestling has been dying the last 10 years, because all the workers are marks and the marks are the workers.
you're a scholar & a gentleman, sir
Well said
Ain't that the truth.
Liar
You must be a masterful worker and genius of the business
Some of these comments are ridiculous. Pay attention to what Ole says and when he says it. Ole is an older man. Older men like to tell stories to young people about how it was during their day. Notice how Ole leads Meltzer into asking a specific question and then proceeds to answer it in depth. Am I the only one here who's been around old people?
clinton...listen to old people, sometimes they'll give you the most invaluable information
Clinton Bigelow I agree with you, Meltzer was very disrespectful
So? This also isn't a era in which living for a longtime means much of anything. 100 years ago if you were Ole's age it had some value now just about every asshole can make it to 90+ yrs. The idea of listening to elders for wisdom etc.. had some merit when living that long was very rare.
TheEvolver311 lol the average life expectancy is 72 years.
You’re using fake data to prop up a failing argument.
The whole interview is Dave Meltzer arrogantly teaching Ole Anderson about the pro wrestling business, and disrespecting him every step of the way. Cranky or not Ole deserved much better and much more respect.
+The Sports Fix it seemed to me more like Ole clearly schooling Dave on how wrestling was in the 50s, and Dave trying to talk to Ole how wrestling is *now*. Granted, Dave Meltzer's biggest flaw has always been he's a writer/reporter, not an interviewer -- when he talks to people who like him and want to talk to him it's fine, but he *never* does a good job with a hostile interview, and this was clearly that. Ole Anderson is one of the great classic wrestlers of all time, but don't forget, he one one of those people in the big list of guys who had the chance to book WCW and tanked it. He is definitely stuck in a mode where he really wishes wrestling was the way it used to be and has long since given up on it, and just wants to ignore everything that happens since 1994.
read his book. Jim herd,ole's executive boss at the time,was a huge problem to any booker. remember,herd suggested flair becomes spartacus! tons of the crap on tv was his idea. every single guy who ever talked about herd said he had no clue about wrestling but would force his ideas anyway,so it isnt entirely ole's fault.
Even in retirement Ole is great.
SoooooOOOooooo SOOOoooOoooo well said!
@@fayezfawzi3255 Ole didn't want Flair either
Ole ripping on RF shioots is some of the best unintentional comedy. i can't diskike the guy. I'd be honored if Ole told me I was the shits.
And you should be.
That's one of my favorites for that reason. RF kept saying stupid things like "Ted Turner bought the NWA" and Ole wasn't putting up with it. 😂😂😂
Ole was great and 99% correct. Tough guy, great performer every time.
chris M yeah he was correct about Hogan not drawing in the late 90s. Wtf are you on, this dude didn't draw a dime
Ole is so bitter that WCW was a failure when he was running things that he can't even admit that it was a huge success after he was fired. Ole was the brains behind legendary bombs like "The Black Scorpion" and ROBOCOP saving Sting from The Four Horsemen during a match. It was laughably bad.
@@a.graham7979 that RoboCop shit wasn't Ole s idea that was forced on them by Turner brass
Why is folks hate for Dave blinding them ? Meltzer is wonky at best but Ole is both a moron and Piece of shit
@@dooganchode9447Hogan didn't draw in 99-01 WCW.
The background music makes this all the more crazy
Brickyard Road by Johnny VanZant. He wrote it for his brother who died in the Skynyrd plane crash.
I was excited when I finally could make out which song it was.
I hear you...but pick up his book. Ole is a very smart guy and has a very strong understanding and appreciation for the art of wrestling and booking which shines through far more than the bitterness in the book. While he does advocate some outdated notions, a good 60-70% of what he says are things wrestlers, writers, bookers today could learn a lot from.
Seeing the comments below I feel like saying:
1. Meltzer might rub you as a know-it-all, but that doesn't mean his individual points are wrong.
2. Obviously, Hogan made massive money for WCW at one time. Ole not knowing that very much hurts his credibility.
WCW still stunk for the first 2 years Hogan was there (spring of '94 to spring of '96).
It was Hall, Nash and the NWO "concept" that gave WCW it's biggest sucess. Hogan was a piece of that puzzle, but not the cornerstone that he was from '84 to '92.
Dave Meltzer stop trying to sound smarter than Ole Anderson, you're not.
Who makes more off of the business nowadays? #MeltzerWins
@@sinicalypse who gives a shit?
Wade Tomlin. BINGO👍👍
Meltzer is a stooge
@@sinicalypse lol with that logic somebody selling bootleg cassettes of wrestling for 1 cent a piece would be making more money then some guys out of the business, do you think that really make them smarter?
What Ole is saying is relatively simple: if you could put on great wrestling matches on a consistent basis, he thinks you were good. The territory system helped make wrestlers money all over the country and all over the world. Now that Vince McMahon has a stranglehold on the business, it has resulted in just about everything else dying, as far as territories go. That's what Ole is saying.
No it isn't . He's contradicting himself . Dude is bitching to Meltzer because he's in a hall of fame
@@mrx2089 That's exactly what he's saying. Listen to the entire video & not just one part.
man Ole is a grinch, imagine having him as a boss or teacher
RIP Ole
98 - 99 WCW became very WWE LIKE by not having weekly shows in areas NWA prior territories. That is why Hogan was able to work WCW and not NWA.
Why the fu@k is music playing in the back ground?
this was live on the radio, it was the bumper music that was supposted to cut to break
sgord051 OLE HAD HIS MUSIC ON IN HIS HOUSE, HE LOVES COUNTRY MUSIC
Name of the song is "Brickyard Road" by Johnny Van Zant. It was a tribute to his brother the late great Ronnie Van Zant from Lynyrd Skynyrd who died in the October 20th, 1977 plane crash.
I can’t take Brickyard road playing in the background
I love that they’re playing Brickyard Road by Johnny VanZant in the background.
I didn't realize that Michael Hayes was plagiarizing with freebird road
Dave Meltzer sabotaged his own interview either because he is entirely full of himself and thinks he's an expert or because he dislikes Ole. A three word answer by Ole doesn't deserve to be cut off in mid-sentence by Meltzer's jock sniffing rambling that goes on forever. I'm surprised that Ole didn't just completely go off on him and quite a few times I was wishing that he would have.
Any way you slice it, Ole deserves to be in ANY wrestling Hall Of Fame. He was what a wrestler is supposed to be and more. I know because unlike a great many people, I watched him twice a week. He was a mean, surly heel and could wrestle his ass off and get heat. He was also great on the the. I would disagree with many of you about some of his booking. However, I don't know too many wrestlers who made it into the HOF based on their booking skills. Just based on what he did in the ring he should be in there.
If Arn is in the HOF or ever is put in there, then Ole should have been there first. The Minnesota Wrecking crew, especially Ole, drew money with everyone. So did the 4 Horsemen. He was huge in both.
Ole is many things but clueless about wrestling isn't one of them.
You're just like Meltzer. You ask your own rhetorical questions and then you answer them yourself as opposed to listening to another point of view.
Obviously the WWF killed the territories. That does not mean that Ole Anderson is clueless about wrestling. I suppose you think Watts was too?
+MemphoWrasslin1 He wasn't very combative when Blackjack Mulligan knocked the shit out of him...
***** Eric's "Karate skills" didn't want any fucking part of ole or any of the boys. That's why he usually fired them through the mail.
....and you see how well firing the old timers who actually knew how to draw money worked out for Bischoff, right? Then he and Hogan and Russo went to TNA and ruined any chance at legitimacy they ever had too--but that was Jarrett and Dixie's fault for hiring the bastards when they had a proven track record of getting companies closed down.
***** I think there was a chance for it to have been successful had they just had people in charge who knew what they were doing. You could solve poverty in third world countries for the amount of money her daddy has put into that company. Surely some wrestling people running it would have made it successful.
Love the background music..lol this is the most HARD HEADED INTERVIEW IN THE WORLD!!!🤔
Ole made a great point. Business didn't pick up and then guys drew. Guys drew, created excitement, which caused business growth.
Why is Ole listening to Hall and Oates in the background?
because they're great?
i’m not too familiar with either of these guys or what they’re talking about but i believe the old guy more
The “old guy ” you said is Ole Anderson, guy who’s pictured here in the video. Longtime Heel ( Bad Guy) in the Wrestling business in the old days before Vince McMahon & the WWF ran a Monopoly on Wrestling. The other guy talking here is Dave Meltzer, Wrestling “journalist” who back in the Pre Internet Glory Days started the Wrestling Observer, a newsletter for fans who before the mid to late 90s when the way the whole wrestling operation & business was run wasn’t known much at all to the average fan but what Meltzer would do is smarten up the fans on not only what went on behind the scenes but how Wrestling storylines would come together and who was what and how come. I could probably further drag out many more paragraphs but that’s the old Long story...short.
Good call...not even close, trust me. Ole is a legend. Melzer the younger guy is a putz know-it-all
This is why Ole was such a good heel
Dave Meltzer is a mark for himself and his opinions about wrestling.
Meltzer is a mark
It's his job: Sound like he knows what he's talking about.
@@EmoEmu he’s doing it well because he clearly has no idea what he’s talking about.
@@harrygreb3457 Eeeeexactly. It's just about SOUNDING like he knows a damn about it.
He’s entertaining but the way he states his opinion as facts is annoying.
6:02 the real reason for Ole's hostility comes to light
That part needs to be made into a Shorts clip 😆
Not the only one. As proven, Meltzer is a fucking idiot. He thinks he knows more about wrestling than actual bookers.
Ole is wrestling...his characters...rich , road warriors hooked me as a kid
I love when the background music kicks in as they're arguing.
new drinking game: take a shot every time Ole says "money"
Ole Anderson sounds like a fun guy! Rollseyes.
Is that Michael Hayes singing in the back Freebirds road? Lol
ole cut some of the best promos ever.
he does sound somewhat bitter though.
In '97, and '98, the success of WCW, was Scott hall and Kevin nash
lol what's the power ballad in the background
Rip ole
Meltzer wants to interview himself.
He's a schmuck. What a wasted interview series. I wish I could've done it. Just let Ole talk. He's a fading, irreplaceable wrestling treasure...and we're listening to Melzer.
They're arguing about Hulk Hogan being able to or not being able to draw money in WCW but he was old by then. You can't expect someone that old to carry a promotion long term.
You're missing the point.
This is so awesome. Ole Anderson should be a President!
They're both right about Hogan drawing WCW money. When Hogan first debut in WCW he wasn't the draw he was in WWF because people had already grew tired of his act. He then turned heel and the rest his history.
Just goes to show just how much mezler didnt know about what happened to wcw back then
And yet countless mindless drones believe the shit he spews
I'm 32 and was around wcw huge dummy
Meltzer's made more off of the business than Ole since, what, the mid 90s?
UPDATE from Divinity: Ole to go out pissed - To his pall bearers... 'Who picked you shi*s? Move!'
Dave Meltzer like him or not is one of the most knowledgable wrestling historians alive today, and Jim Cornette has even stated that fact multiple times. But the problem with Dave is that when it comes to analyzing the product he thinks he is far superior than anyone else.
Ole, the contankerus old bitter fart that he is, is another brilliant mind about the the business that makes very good arguments about the business.
As much as Ole seems to hate just about everyone, I think it was still obvious that he enjoyed his interaction with Meltzer. At the end of the day, as a wrestling fan, I enjoyed the heck outta listening to these 2 go back and forth.
Ole is a boss heel
When Ole became Booker GCW was continuously in the red when he left it was in the black.
Ole Anderson: Professional Wrestling's original Grumpy Old Man
Don't forget The Black Scorpion
What's with the Johnny Van Zant in the background?
Ole...is...God!!!
Interesting how far wrestling has evolved from what Ole considers Pro Wrestling. Either its the purely shoot version (UFC) or the worked to the core version WWE. Had he known Japanese he would have worked better with Inoki's vision of Pro-wrestling.
How Ole has an argument about Hogan not drawing in WCW when he said himself he wasn't around the product at that time is complete stupidity on his behalf.
1:55 is pure comedy when Ole is disrespecting dave 😆 🤣 😂
When did Hogan go to WCW Meltzer? It was 1993. WCW didn’t do any good business until Scott Hall and Kevin Nash came in and were treated as if the WWE sent them to invade WCW. Nash and Hall should get more credit than Hogan. After that guys from the WWE were bailing for the Money at WCW.
1994
This is fucking gold.
What's with the elevator music in the background?
Funny, but say what you will, Ole knows more about the business in one finger than many do now! He just tells it as is and people don't like it, or can handle it!
WCW was good at selling angles. When they pushed the Giant as Andre the Giant's son comming for revenge upon Hogan for beating his dad at Wrestlemania 3 it was nearly believable and drew numbers kinda like when they had folks believing Hall & Nash were sent by Vince to start a war and take over WCW. It's a shame that when WWE guys came to WCW they all but quit pushing Sting as their top guy. Sting had potential that got kinda burried there. The NWO was definately what put WCW on top though.
Is Ole interviewing this guy? He sure is talking alot and not letting Ole talk.
Who is? Ole's from Minnesota and Meltzer has lived in California since he was 10.
THIS IS A HORRIBLE INTERVIEW BASCIALLY BECAUSE OF DAVE MELTZER.
Dave fucking meltzer telling ole Anderson how the wrestling business works 😂😂😂
Ole is just finding something to pick on if he is truly saying Hogan wasnt successful in WCW.
He certainly wasn't until he turned and joined Hall and Nash. His first PPV there he did well, but the buy rates went back to normal quick. That's why they had to do that stupid Flair retirement thing.
Ole was the " GREATEST " heel of all time
Not really when Hogan first came to the WCW his feud with Ric Flair that WWE & Vince McMahon could never produce when Flair was in WWE a few years earlier happened. That was a huge feud at the time, the match that everyone wanted to see for 10 years nobody thought would ever happen. That first match Flair vs Hogan was one of the most important matches in wrestling history but won't get the credit it deserves because WWE owns the history and that was the big one McMahon couldn't deliver.
Meltzer answers his own questions and disproves what hes saying in doing so... i.e Hulk hogan was huge after vern and vince worked on him, yet when he went to wcw and the character they had created run its course, he was unable to continue to be right at the top. Thats disproving his point that hogan was particularly special on his own, what arn was pointing out, was that very clever people can make stars out of people. Thus there are many other potential hulk hogans out there, but nobody is creating them. Thats not to say that terry bolea isnt a very good entertainer, its just very good entertainers in that industry require people to use them correctly. And just for the record, the idea that The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, triple H, arent a draw now because they run their course, is borderline insanity. Those particular people, who were pushed and created by the very best, are the biggest draw there is, still today. But its because they stayed in wwe, and stayed at the top, hogans profile diminished as wcw got worse, then boosted again in wwe, then he went to tna, which lowered his profile again. Rock, austin, triple h always stayed in the prime time
Ole never made it to the heights of Flair, Hogan, or even Arn & he gave the reason himself: he was only in the biz to make enough money to retire early. Guys who make it in wrestling are the ones that truly love the biz, and truly love to entertain the fans. Love them or hate them, Hogan and Flair continue to draw money to this day & Ole is a bitter old man that no one talks about.
You have no clue what your talking about bud
Ole made nothing BUT MONEY for 20 yrs as leader of NWA tag team title holders, Minnesota Wrecking Crew, then Horseman drama, etc.
I watched him live as a kid generate heat like no one would believe now...I'm talking about old lady knifing him in the aisle in Greensboro in the '70s and an assault where he and Gene pummeled a drunk guy who crossed over flimsy rope barrier to intercept them on way back to dressing room. Happened eight feet in front of me. Guy still getting treated 15 minutes later as lights were up and people began filing out. That crap happened weekly across Carolinas, as kayfabe was never broken and huge percentages believed it was all real. Magic! I haven't watched in over 25 years.
This clip ends at exactly the perfect point
Facts 😂😂😂😂
And that was me lmao 😂 please
Ole aint gonna give hulk no credit for nothing or flair I'm. Not a huge hogan fan but u can't say he was not one of the biggest names of biggest ever and that he didn't draw money just saying hogan drew money better than anybody back then
@TheDalinkwent Turning heel when he did was one of the few things I can commend Hulk Hogan for because he was against the idea of doing that for such a long time.He was concerned about losing his comfort zone in terms of the money he drew as a babyface,in my opinion.Typically,your average heel's merchandise sales are dramatically lower,but having a name like Hulk Hogan in the New World Order has a way of changing the landscape.
WHAT IN THE FUCK IS UP WITH THE RANDOM ASS MUSIC PLAYING?
Actually I wonder about how would Dave Meltzer book wrestling
+DarksaberForce well only the "hot" young talent would be getting booked
Kenny Beta would be in the main event for 20 years.
It would be Ricochet vs Finn Balor as a main event match
AEW
Yet you mention kevin Nash who never drew A DIME as WWF champion
Did I say Meltzer wasn't?
Ole went down to Georgia to see if there was money to be made.
He wouldn't referee or haul the ring
He joined the business to get paid.
If you want to keep me write the check.
If we can't draw money you can go to heck
To Vince McMahon I say, "fuck you"
To his lady wife it's "fuck you too".
who ever thinks Ole is full of shit is a total fuckin Mark, Through and through. Ole is an old Dog of war, a veteran.
Who exactly brings in money? Not Flair not Hogan. Who exactly does he like?
I disagree. Wrestling journalism is different. If you just "interview and ask questions", a wrestler, who's life is about working people, will bullshit you into oblivion. Dave Meltzer is a real journalist; if he wanted to be Bill Apter, he would have been. Ole is sitting there saying Hogan was never successful after he left the WWF, which is 100% wrong. Meltzer was right to correct him on that. The truth is more important than who lived the business and who just covered it.
Meltzer is smoking crack. Hogan wasnt drawing money in WCW. Look at Starrcade 94. Did Hogan VS The Butcher draw money? No.
Hall and Nash came along and THEY drew money. Hogan just rode their coattails
His first show drew a good buyrate, but after that they went back to normal. That's why they had to do the retirement match with Flair at Halloween Havoc.
Dave Meltzer created a job for himself being a Mr. wrestling snooper and know it all
Wrestling according to Ole: Hulk Hogan was worthless, Ric Flair couldn't work, Ole was only in it to make money, but he's angry about not being in the Hall of Fame.
These are the types of irrational people that populate the lower tiers of every business. Don't make-up bitter nonsense if you are having trouble reaching your goals. Look at the world, see who is succeeding, ADMIT that they are, then try to learn from it. Be honest with yourself and work hard and you won't end up like Ole Anderson.
Hogan not being able to draw money back then is mad. Of course he did lol
Down the brickyard road ol take me down
Ole last all credit when he said refering to Hogan I herd he wasn't able to draw anymore in referance to Hogans time in WCW.
Meltzer needs to re-read OLE's,KOLOF's Jody Hamilton's,WATTS's,ATLAS's,HANSEN's and
the other Legends Of WRESTLING's Books.
THIS IS A DOUBLE STANDARD FLAIR MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO MORE IN THE RING THEN HOGAN BUT THE REALITY IS FLAIR IS EXTREMELY PREDICTABLE AND IF YOU SEEN ONE YOU SEEN ALL OF HIS MATCHES
I don't like either of these guys but I'm interested in what they have to say for some reason
@TriuneGForce And Hulk Hogan wasn't predictable with his Hulkasizing and leg drop?
Now ole the grump maybe grumpy but he deserves to be all wrestling's hall of famers for singles and tag teams twice one with gene and the other arn.
I don't know why everyone is bagging on Ole so hard.
He's lived the business. He should know what he's talking about.
Does he value his own opinion? Of course he does. We all do.
But who sounds more like the know-it-all windbag in this conversation? Meltzer does.
I understand he has covered the business for over 30 years, but he hasn't LIVED the business.
He talks too damn much. Instead of putting over his own opinion, he should just interview and ask questions, like a journalist.
Touche, to a point.
I agree with you that you shouldn't let a bullshitter off the hook for re-writing things the way they wanna tell them. True. But Meltzer is still coming off "know-it-all" versus "well, according to the record books", even when he prefaces with "according to the record books". It's very annoying. That's what I meant. Plus, he hardly let Ole finish a thought before interrupting with HIS opinion, after asking a question. That's when the asshole in Ole came out. Just my opinion.
Man did Ole just say Ric Flair wasn't a good worker
It’s true.
His reasoning is 95% of Ric Flair's matches follow the same template, which is true. It worked for Ric because he was on the road a lot, but it wouldn't translate to a single territory.
Rick flair has 1 match bud
CM Punk Invented Professional Wrestling💯
Does Flair draw money.... YES
YES my ass. Only in Charlotte does Flair draw.
I don't think it has to do with bookers, wrestlers, or owners being dumber - Fact is, the fans just got smarter.
Dave should have interviewed himself the muppet
Flair didn't draw money? Yeah, okay Ole.
he didnt
Leem Wills
He drew my money.
yes he did and flair but over time its started to go down because fans want to see more and variety and hogan and flair both got stale , im not knocking there work i think to be theyre ages and still wrestling is a blessing