King Kong Bundy: Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart Damaged Pro Wrestling

– King Kong Bundy spoke with Vince Russo in a rare interview. Check out the highlights:

On his 1994 run: “I was a young kid. That was a brilliant run. I will never forget that for as long as I live. The business was on its ass. You couldn’t put people on a seat with a crowbar and I’m sitting around watching Barry Horowitz doing interviews and I was doing none. I was there for almost 18 months but they didn’t do anything with me. Vince called me and said he was going to give me a super push. I went back and got nothing. That is a very cold place when they are not doing anything with you. I’m watching Barry Horowitz, nothing against Barry Horowitz, I like him, he has no business in professional business, but I like him. I’m watching Horowitz do interviews and I’m doing none.”

On what he did between 1989 and 1994: “I did a computer commercial in late 87. It ran for two years. For three years, I worked for the computer company. The other years I bought a bar – that didn’t work out. I spent a lot of money. I gambled a lot. I did a computer commercial. It was a Dutch company called BenDex. It was a Dutch company that did $6 billion in sales. I do the commercial. All of a sudden, I got full page ads in USA Today, Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated. I hoped Vince wouldn’t find out about it. Needless to say, Vince found out about it big time. Ever since that day, and I’ve been told this and never revealed this, ‘that was the kiss of death to your career’. I say ‘To hell with Vince McMahon’…Vince is such a control freak: the idea of one of his pieces of property being used by somebody else – it was just death to him. He couldn’t stand it.”

On his WrestleMania 1 pay: “I got 5 grand…I don’t know why Vince McMahon pays anybody anything hardly because they have nowhere to go. Where’s John Cena going to go? Japan?…Kamala was a guy he wouldn’t pay for whatever reason. I’m not saying I was the worst paid guy, but I certainly wasn’t one of the best.”

On Sean Waltman being in WWE Magazine: “…I remember back then. I don’t know if you were in charge of the magazine then, but business was on its ass. You couldn’t give a ticket away and I look in the magazine and there’s a seven page spread on the 1-2-3 kid. I doubt Sean has ever sold a ticket in his life…Why would you ever make a seven-page spread on the 1-2-3 kid? Were you high? He has no arms. His arms are like my wrists!”

On Russo getting him on the cover of WWE Magazine dressed as Santa: “Was that your idea, Russo? F— you. That was a stupid idea! That was you, Vince? Oh, that was just bullsh**. I didn’t know that was you. Oh my goodness. That was the worst idea ever. I can’t believe you did that. Now, I’m depressed. I hope you’re happy, Vince…That was terrible, Vince. I think the world of you. Your talents are great. You’ve proven that, but that was a horrible idea.”

On working with Andre The Giant: “You really want to know? Absolutely miserable. Andre The Giant was not a nice man…”

On working with Hulk Hogan in the 80s: “Hulk got me my job and always took care of me. He was always good to me.”

On Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels: “The advent on the downfall of this business was champions like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Horrible world champions. Did not look like grown men in my opinion. I read Bret’s book. Wow. You cannot pick up a page without being amazed at how this man’s ego was out of control. Bret wrote in his book I called him ‘little man’. I always called him the ‘little hitter’ because he looked like a little kid in the ring. I come back six years later and he’s the world champion… Total piece of sh**, Bret Hart. I used to be friends with Bret. I stayed at his house one time back in the day.”

On a Hall of Fame induction: “I haven’t spoke to Vince McMahon since I left there in 1994…[joking] Koko B. Ware is in the Hall of Fame. I didn’t have a career Koko had.”

On wrestlers today: “They all look alike. That’s something I’ve been saying for years. You can’t differentiate one from the other. They all look alike. I never watch the show – never. It’s basically unwatchable.”