In the 60s when Vince McMahon Sr. created what would become World Wrestling Entertainment, very few of his wrestlers were marvelous talkers on the microphone. Vince Sr.'s wrestlers wrestled, and that was it. Oh, how times have changed. The 1980s and the rise of Vince Jr. brought about a renaissance in so many ways. One of the ways was the interview segment. It wasn't always a regular interviewer talking to the wrestlers either. Sometimes it was a back and forth between two wrestlers. This was the dawn of the "show" period of WWE that has recently begun to see a revival.
"Piper's Pit", still occasionally featured on WWE programming, was the original innovator of this particular medium. Piper is considered to be one of the greatest talkers ever in the business and the Pit was his place to prove it. With guests ranging from Andre the Giant to Captain Lou Albano, Piper had a comeback ready for each of his eccentric guests. The most famous moments on the show include Piper cracking a coconut over Jimmy Snuka's head and the altercation between Andre and Hulk Hogan that lead to Wrestlemania III.
"The Flower Shop", with its ever flamboyant host "Adorable" Adrian Adonis, filled the void of "Piper's Pit" while Roddy was away in Hollywood. Always accompanied by "the Colonel" Jimmy Hart. Adonis' set was adorned with a floral arrangement that made even Lord Alfred Hayes' passion Pink suits look conservative. Thankfully, "the Flower Shop" was broken up with the return of Piper. The Rowdy one was so enraged with Adonis that he defeated him in a hair vs. hair match at Wrestlemania III.
"The Snake Pit" with Jake "The Snake" Roberts is one of the often forgotten, but very entertaining, interview segments of the late 80s. Notable guests included WWE champion Hulk Hogan and the late Junkyard Dog. The most memorable moment in the show's short-lived history was when the Honkytonk Man broke his guitar over Jake's cranium.
"The Brother Love Show" was a show that didn't have a wrestler for a host, but certainly deserves honorable mention. Former WWE agent Bruce Prichard played a red faced, Jimmy Swaggart stereotype spouting that he "looooved yooou, yes!" Debuting in 1988, the show housed literally every major WWE star of the time at one point another. The show was the setting for Earthquake's famous sneak attack on Hulk Hogan and Rick Martel's blinding of Jake Roberts. It was a staple of WWE programs and occasional pay-per-views until Brother Love was replaced with another portly non-wrestler.
Paul Bearer's "Funeral Parlor" is perhaps my favorite of the shows. It took place during Undertaker's early WWE run when he was still a hated and eerie figure. The most famous occurrence on the show is obviously when Ultimate Warrior was locked inside a casket by Undertaker. Keep in mind that this was 1991 and no one had seen anything like that before. Caskets were a theme on the show as the same stunt was later tried with Hulk Hogan. Even Mister Perfect got in on the fun by purchasing a miniature casket for Davey Boy Smith's pooch Winston. No matter how much fun it may have been, segments always seem to have a short shelf life and "the Funeral Parlor" was about to be replaced by something altogether different.
"The Heartbreak Hotel" with Shawn Michaels debuted in 1994. With a rotating, heart shaped bed and neon lights it had all the elegance of a sleazy motel. Shawn's guests at times included himself or a cardboard cutout of Diesel. As a master of self promotion, it wasn't other guests that got the "Heartbreak Hotel" over, it was Shawn himself. Many laughed when Shawn boastfully claimed on the show that he would win the 1995 Royal Rumble. Following the event, no one except HBK was left laughing.
"The King's Court" with Jerry "The King" Lawler was a frequent spot on early Raw telecasts. He boasts one of the most interesting guest lists of all of our shows. At times it included musician Tiny Tim and midgets, lots and lots of midgets. King's show served to throw even more gas on the fire that was hid feud with Bret Hart. It also gave us all a glimpse of the puppy-loving King we know today.
Without these pioneers, men like Chris Jericho, Carlito, and Christian would be lost. Although entertaining to be sure, I feel that the new shows have yet to capture the tongue-in-cheek magic that was prevalent in the earlier shows. They also seem to serve only as a setup for an immediately-following match. We rarely see someone being interviewed just to get over. Perhaps the current crop of WWE talent and writers should take notice and use these shows as the personality enhancers they were created to be.
