Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard On Not Getting a Gimmick in WWE, Who Came Up With ‘Brain Busters,’ WWE Removing Four Horsemen Signs At the Time

Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard were guests on the latest Talk is Jericho and talked about coming into WWE as The Brain Busters. The two left the NWA and joined WWE in 1988. However, where most new talent in the late 1980s got cartoony, larger than life gimmicks, Anderson and Blanchard were allowed to basically be themselves with the exception of a new name.

The two talked about where the name came from and how WWE tried to take down signs and fan support for the Four Horsemen, who was still an NWA thing at the time. Anderson also talked about why Vince McMahon didn’t give them a gimmick. You can check out the highlights and audio below:

Anderson on how they avoided getting a gimmick in WWE: “We lucked out, I think. They ask us for new names. Obviously, they were pretty clear that, ‘We don’t want to see the Four Horseman bulls**t,’ which you couldn’t avoid for a short period of time.”

Blanchard on WWE suppressing Four Horseman signs at the time: “When the fans would put it up, they sent guys out in the audience to pull them all down.”

Anderson on their first creative meeting with McMahon: “Well he asked for, you know, ‘Can you come up [with ideas], and we couldn’t come up with anything. [Tully] and I tried to, and we were just — just us. They said, ‘We’re gonna put you with Bobby Heenan.’ And I think Bobby said, ‘Well hell, let’s call them the Brain Busters,’ which gave us immediate credibility. Immediate credibility. And Chris, he — our costuming was just normal, just red and white boots, red tights, whatever the deal. It was nothing special, and he didn’t mess with that. He just let us … and he said about six months into it, one day. We were just talking to him, and he just went, ‘You know, you guys give credibility to my company, to my business. I think he said, ‘You led credibility to my business.’ And I think that looking back on it, that’s why he didn’t dress us up and try to change [us]..”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.