Former WWF announcer Sean Mooney joined Inside The Ropes this past week for only his second wrestling interview since leaving the company. Here are the highlights:
Entering the WWF with no wrestling background: "New Haven, Connecticut was my first live event and I remember walking backstage and Mr Fuji and Ax and Smash, Demolition, were playing cribbage in full costume at this table. I'm looking at this thinking, 'What have I stepped into?' But there were some people there who thought you're either in or you're an outsider. I'm telling you, that first year was really tough because they would have a different language, you know you'd walk in, the guys would be talking and suddenly they're speaking carny you know and it took me a year of just taking it and they put it to me. I'll tell you, and this is why Lord Alfred Hayes and I became so close, Alfred and Gorilla, or Gino as we called him, took me under their wing and I would just take it from the guys but those two guys took me under their wing and just taught me the ropes and took care of me. Then after a year, that was it, I was in. Once that happens you're in for life."
Memories of Hulk Hogan: "Rocky had come out, it was just insane. They had a show on, like the Top 50 Superstars, recently and Hulk was like 25 or something and you're like WHAT?! I mean Really? Unless you're just mad at him, how in the world could you.... no matter what went on with them... how do you not make him at least top 5, are you kidding me? All of wrestling owes a debt to him for what he did. By the time I got there, he was a superstar. Making money that was just unheard of."
Rumors he was ashamed of the WWF run: "I left because I just wanted to try something else, and the company was changing, you know? Financially they weren't doing great and who knows, he might have decided to cut me loose when my contract was up anyway. But I made the decision before that and I think that's why people started thinking, 'what the hell happened to Sean Mooney?' Because how could he walk away from that and disappear which to them I did. But for that period of time, I cherished that and it really upset me that there was some report saying that when I worked in new in New York that I tried to hide that from my resume. How the hell would you do that? When I was with the WWF, it aired all over the world. Was I gonna just say that wasn't me? No, plus I was very thankful to Vince McMahon for everything he gave me and the opportunities I got. When I started to anchor at WWR in New York, Vince even sent me a telegram to say congratulations. Because he was happy that a WWF guy was broadcasting news in New York."
Entering the WWF with no wrestling background: "New Haven, Connecticut was my first live event and I remember walking backstage and Mr Fuji and Ax and Smash, Demolition, were playing cribbage in full costume at this table. I'm looking at this thinking, 'What have I stepped into?' But there were some people there who thought you're either in or you're an outsider. I'm telling you, that first year was really tough because they would have a different language, you know you'd walk in, the guys would be talking and suddenly they're speaking carny you know and it took me a year of just taking it and they put it to me. I'll tell you, and this is why Lord Alfred Hayes and I became so close, Alfred and Gorilla, or Gino as we called him, took me under their wing and I would just take it from the guys but those two guys took me under their wing and just taught me the ropes and took care of me. Then after a year, that was it, I was in. Once that happens you're in for life."
Memories of Hulk Hogan: "Rocky had come out, it was just insane. They had a show on, like the Top 50 Superstars, recently and Hulk was like 25 or something and you're like WHAT?! I mean Really? Unless you're just mad at him, how in the world could you.... no matter what went on with them... how do you not make him at least top 5, are you kidding me? All of wrestling owes a debt to him for what he did. By the time I got there, he was a superstar. Making money that was just unheard of."
Rumors he was ashamed of the WWF run: "I left because I just wanted to try something else, and the company was changing, you know? Financially they weren't doing great and who knows, he might have decided to cut me loose when my contract was up anyway. But I made the decision before that and I think that's why people started thinking, 'what the hell happened to Sean Mooney?' Because how could he walk away from that and disappear which to them I did. But for that period of time, I cherished that and it really upset me that there was some report saying that when I worked in new in New York that I tried to hide that from my resume. How the hell would you do that? When I was with the WWF, it aired all over the world. Was I gonna just say that wasn't me? No, plus I was very thankful to Vince McMahon for everything he gave me and the opportunities I got. When I started to anchor at WWR in New York, Vince even sent me a telegram to say congratulations. Because he was happy that a WWF guy was broadcasting news in New York."
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