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| Austin talks to OVW trainer Danny Davis this week Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Show: Steve Austin Show Unleashed!
Episode: 202 (March 12, 2015)
Run Time: 1:39:18
Guest:“Nightmare” Danny Davis (9:43)
Summary: Austin is on the phone this week with one of his old pals from the early days, “Nightmare” Danny Davis. They start right in with recollections of their early 1990s personal interactions, including a memorable battle royal and discussion of Austin’s USWA experience. The talk then shifts to how Davis broke in and eventually got on TV in Memphis. He reviewed different tag team partners and how he became one half of The Nightmares. He recalled his favorite places to work, the ups and downs of his four marriages, explained the sometimes sad realities of life on the road and recounted his injuries. That segued into retelling the origins of Ohio Valley Wrestling, his impression of a young Brock Lesnar, what training is like today in OVW and the fund drive for money to upgrade TV equipment. The talk ends with some stories of working stiff. Austin’s word of the day is jerkoff.
Quote of the week:“I had a passion for this business. I loved this business for what the business was. I did not get in the business to be rich, I didn’t get in the business for wealth or a lot of money, I always put passion first because I believed, I could be wrong, but I believed, and I always tell any of my students, if you get in this business for financial gain right away, you’re doing it wrong. You have to have passion first. If you have passion for something then monetary gain will come because you’ll be good at what you do. But passion first. That’s always been my motto.”
Why you should listen: Davis is, as I wrote when he appeared on Art of Wrestling in mid-November, is a compelling storyteller with plenty of good material. His early “training” experience is a fantastically odd tale, and he’s brutally frank about his personal shortcomings. He and Austin have more of a peer-to-peer relationship than the teacher-student dynamic between himself and Colt Cabana, and you can really tell how much fun both men are having reliving some of the stories of the old days. Austin’s memory of his early career is far better than that from the end of his WWE run, and he’s noticeably more engaged when discussing the early 1990s.
Why you should skip it: Though Davis’ relationship with each podcast host is different, there were more than a few times here where it seemed I was hearing verbatim some of the same stories he told Cabana. And having already once heard the tale of how OVW’s affiliation with WWF began and ended, I’m now more interested in someone else’s side of the story. Stamp is by no means a high profile figure in mainstream wrestling, but if you’re at all familiar with his career before know, you’re probably not goint to learn much here. Finally, if you’re opposed to crowdfunding, you won’t enjoy the waning moments of the interview.
Final thoughts: For the most part I enjoyed this conversation. As usual with Austin, when he gets on the horn with an old riding partner, or at least someone he’s shared a ring with, you’re going to get one of his better efforts. That said, if you’re looking for fresh or deep or anything that makes this a must-listen, I can’t recommend it to that degree. If you heard Stamp on Art Of Wrestling, you already got the lion’s share of what this episode provides.