OnlineHost: Ladies and gentlemen please welcome ANIMAL!!!
OnlineHost: How are you doing tonight?
WWFBBANKS: Animal and Hawk: Both of us are rooting for the Bulls tonight!
We're hoping our
Chicago boys are gonna do the job!
Question: Animal, are you ready to face Shawn and Austin?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: Our stratwegy nexver changes...chop meat! Steve Austin is
real intense, and Shawn
has something to prove after coming back from the knee, but
they're not ROad Warriors,
and their not a tag team per say, so me and Animal think that we
will do just fine!
We don't consider them a big threat, we just consider them a
threat in singles. I think it
was a pretty lucky incident when they won the belts. It was an
upset for them.
Question: Why did you guys leave the WWF? and why did you guys decide to come
back?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: The first time we left it was because mainly we were burnt
out. It was just
too much wrestling on top of all the road work, plus Animal hurt
his back. The reason
for coming back is because we always felt we had more to prove
here in the WWF and
that we would like to win the belts again. It was the best
competition for us, we didn;t
last with WCW mainly because they lied to us about too many things
in our contracts.
Where the WWF and Vince had always been honest with us. We have to
have that in
any realtionship. And the WWF offers an honest front office which
makes it easier to
do your job.
I think if you look at the production between the two companies
and the talent
you'll see that there is a mix of old and upcoming stars in the
WWF where as the WCW
seems to have alot of cobweb type wrestlers. Some that should have
hung it up
a while back.
Question: Currently, who do you think is the best tag team out there beside
yourselves? and What
are your thoughts on the Elimanators?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: I think we are the best team of all time..and in reality we
are. I don't know
much about the Eliminators, but I;m sure we would beat them.
Question: What is your opinion of the ECW?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk:There really doesn't seem to be a need for a referee over
there...it's like our style
I've always found referees to be on the pesky side! And sometimes,
I have to hold
myself back because they can be highly irritating
Question: Animal, can you tell us what it was like to wrestle in Japan?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: Japan has always been and always will be the great place
where Animal and I to
wrestle. They too in the front office promotion for the company we
worked for were always
honest. And the most important thing to me and ANimal, you need to
have honor where
we are at. When you are working for someone you enjoy working for,
we produce a
better product for the WWF fans. We wrestle harder. We work out
harder. We eat more
And when you are happy in the business, that says alot, because
it's a tough
business
Question: Were you surpised at how the fans reacted to your come back? What
do you feel has
changed over the years?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: I always saw us as the Grateful Dead as tag teams. Not
everyone that you know
knows alot about the Grateful Dead. When the Dead comes to town,
everybody went to see
What has changed is the Animal and I are less of a parody. You
just can't rely on
strength. You have to have ability that you have learned from
years of wrestling.
Question: High-flying superstars have seem to taken over the sport of
wrestling. How is it that
your style of wrestling has survived for so long?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: It's tough to beat tough guys like us. We do some aerials.
I'm not knocking aerials
but its uaually smaller guys who don't have long careers.
And they have to use their whole body when myself and Animal can
use just on
one of our limbs. I like that better :)
WWFBBANKS: They need to use the aerial stuff to create an impact across
someone's goozle and
we're not leaving our feet if we don't have to,.The reason it has
survivied so long
is because people like it.....they're all sick!!
Question: Over the years how has your relationship with Vince McMahon
changed?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: Well, Animal and I have matured alot. We never wanted
anything but as\
many title shots as we could get. Our realtionship with Vince is
peeking in the
greatest sense of not only working for him and having him be our
voice of reason, but
on a different reason outside of the squared circle we began to
become friends.
There are alot of people that say friendship is bad, but not in
this case. We both
respect him. We both respect the WWF because this is the place to
be.
No other promoter has accomplished what the WWF has
Question: What is your reaction to the war between WWF and WcW?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: Ratings are important. And with wheree the WWF is moving,
there won't
be much of a war.
Having personally worked for WCW, and having been around there
several times, I
have to come the conclussion that good things come to those who
deserve it, and bad
things come to those who really need it. So therefore, good always
wins or evil, and
boy is the WWF good
Question: ANIMAL, do yuo think the talent level of tag teams is better now,
or in the 80's with
the Freebirds, Powers of Pain, Russians, etc..........
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: I think over all wrestling talent is up. But I think we
would like to find
some more competition in the tag team ranks only because me and
ANimal always
WWFBBANKS: want to fight the best. The Headbangers mayb e a good team in the
future, but I think
everyone knows why we are here. We are here because we need to be
showcased with
the number one promotion because it's good for business.
And the people like it, let's face it. We wouldn't be around here
in the WWF now
or anywhere else and been this successful for so long unless we
were doing
sopmething right. Because even if you are great, it doesn't mean
the people are
going to come see you. You need to have something else. You need
charisma.
The people have to feell ike they want to be you while you are
wrestling, and you
you do it because they come to watch you. Them coming to see you
and chanting LOD
makes us go crazy. And that's where we like to be mentality in the
ring.
Question: How is it that the realtionship between you two guys has stayed in
tact for so long?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: I don't believe there has been a team that has lasted as us
two. For 14 years.
But we started young, and we're still young. Our bodies might hurt
more, but you overcome
that with your mind and the people.
Everyoneone knows it no fun to wrestle in front of no one.
Question: What do you think of guys like Shamrock entering wrestling?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: Bring em all on! Ken obviously a really tough SOB. Without a
doubt. So
is Stone Cold, so is Vader, so is Undertaker, and so are we!
I like em because he is tough. All my friends are tough, and all
my opponents are tough
Otherwise we wouldn't get in the ring with them. But he;'s in a
new arena, but he's
already shown that he can do it.
Question: Over the years, do you have any regrets in or out of professional
wrestling?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: I regret the last stint we had with WCW. It was a waste of
time for both
of us and a waste of time to us when life is so short. It really
ticked us off. They are
losers, and they lost on us. VInce capitalized on it...and it is a
great marriage.
Question: What are your goals in the WWF and will you get a title shot next
week on RAW?
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: I think the shot is gonna happen, we made the challenge.
We want the belts bad. We thought it would be Owen and Bulldog,
but no big deal
Meat is meat, and it all goes throught the ringer, and it don't
come out like soup
Hawk: Thanks for everything! When we first got in this sport, we
weren;t about to
thank anyone for anything.
But then we got to appreciate the ones who appreciate us. And yes,
the LOD can find
room in their hearts for hellbent and twisted individuals who
think what they
think about us.
And it also I would like to go down truthfully for what we are.
Two guys who don't
give a crap about two other guys in the ring. We should go down as
the greatest ever.
No one has won more belts in promotions whether Europe, Japan or
America. And
there has been no greater company to work for thean the WWF!
Thanks to everyone!
OnlineHost: Ok..thanks for joining us tonight...Good luck at getting Your
Title Shot! What a RUSH!
WWFBBANKS: Hawk: Thanks!
OnlineHost: Thanks again...Also thanks for hangin with us tonight! Sorry we
went on Late!
