wrestling / Video Reviews
Kayfabe! – SuperCard: King Kong Bundy Re-Experiences WrestleMania II
Loading...This is similar to the Timeline series, but, rather than focusing on an entire calendar year, the focus is on a specific show. It covers some basic background details, the buildup to the show, and then covers the actual show, including results, PPV buyrate, live gate, paydays for the boys, etc.
Bundy is the perfect person to kick off this series. This was arguably the peak of his career, although the body slam he gave Little Beaver the following year is probably more famous. He’s familiar with Sean, and KC, from his participation in the Ring Roast events, so he’s very comfortable around Sean. In fact, he’s a bit too comfortable, because he’s constantly going off-topic just to bust Sean’s chops. His first one is great, complimenting Sean’s suit and asking if it comes in men’s sizes, but, after a while it starts getting old, especially with Sean trying to keep the interview rolling.
KC has always been top notch as far as their research and preparation goes, and this is no exception, and even Bundy is impressed with how much they were able to dig up. Bundy first started with the WWF in 1981 as a jobber named Chris Canyon, and, ironically enough, worked with SD Jones a lot. Bundy talks about how lucky the guys have things today, because they get decent paydays. When Bundy was working in Allentown, he would work three times a night and get $150. Bundy eventually moved on, and first worked with Hogan in February 1985 in New Japan, this led to Hogan bringing him into the WWF for his first big run. When Vince offered Bundy the job, he was promised an opportunity to make huge money, but his only guarantee was ten dates for $150.
Sean asks Bundy about his memories of the boys, but he doesn’t really give much insight. The only real surprise was that he was surprised to hear that Andre didn’t like John Studd. It surprises him, because Studd was always very nice and respectful to Andre. Bundy and Andre got along fine, although he’d heard that he pissed Andre off in TX years before. Andre was in for the week and worked with Bundy every night, on his last night, Bundy thanked him and commented “I guess I’m ready for New York!” which Hogan later told Bundy that Andre had said really offended him. He tells a funny story about one of the referees, on one his last nights, in 1988, as Bundy was being pinned the ref yelled out “Is this the finish?” and Bundy yelled back “Yes, this is the finish!” Bundy talks about paydays, and, he obviously made much more than the $1,500 he was guaranteed. He headlined Boston Garden with Hogan, had the angle with Andre, where he and Studd had broken his sternum, and that led to the Colossal Jostle at MSG. The boys all loved doing SNME, because it was a double payday, there was the payoff from Vince, and then NBC would also give them a payoff. Sean asks about royalties from the LJN figures, Bundy made good money, but Iron Sheik was said to have made $94,000. Bundy’s WrestleMania II check was for $50,000, so Hogan probably made double that. Bundy had heard that SD Jones was telling people that he made more than Bundy for the first WrestleMania. Bundy doesn’t know, or even really care, if that’s true (Note from Mike: I wouldn’t be surprised if it was, since Bundy was still pretty new at the timea)
When they stay on point, this is an interesting interview, but, Bundy has tendency to veer off track. He keeps bringing up his second run in 1994-95, where he felt like Vince was just screwing with him. He went back because he was still young, and it was a chance to make some good money, but he didn’t make anything close to his first run. Vince apparently held a grudge against him for working with a computer company.
They wrap things up by going over the full card for WrestleMania II, including the house and gates for all three arenas. Sean points out that running all three cities was Vince’s response to Jim Crockett running Starrcade at both the Omni and Greensboro Coliseum. Bundy was surprised to hear that the Rosemont Horizon wasn’t sold out (Note from Mike: Looking at the card they had, I can see why), and doubts Sean’s claim that William Perry got over $100,000.
