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Bushwhacher Luke Shoots On WWE Run, Not Holding The Tag Belts, Today's Tag Team Scene, A Bushwhacker Reunion And More

Posted: Apr 14th 2008 By: CMBurnham

One-half of The Bushwackers & The Sheepherders, Luke Williams, was the special guest on this past week?s special edition (04/07/08) of Monday Night Mayhem (presented by Sweet Sunshine Sauces) -- which can be heard in streaming audio every week (hosted by The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL and heard LIVE at 8PM ET/7PM CT every Monday night) exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com).

This exclusive Mayhem interview can now be heard for FREE in Real Audio.

April 7th Monday Night Mayhem (streaming audio): www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/040708.wax

April 7th Monday Night Mayhem (official MNM podcast):
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/mondaynightmayhem/~3/267335122/040708.mp3


Also, check out the official MNM Podcast Page, presented by VisuWalls, the extreme wall graphic (featuring the 04/7/08 edition of The Mayhem, in addition to more than 90+ archived editions of "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio"). You are able to download your favorite editions of The Mayhem...and listen to them at your own leisure. Another exciting feature for you, our loyal listeners -- brought to you by "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio."

Here are some of the highlights from Luke's interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem?s host, John "The Big Mosh" Masiulionis.

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The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL welcomed Luke on board The Mayhem airwaves after letting the fans know the best finishing sauce for their sardines...Sweet Sunshine (the official proud presenter of The Mayhem). Now that the fans around the world are able to keep down their lunches/dinners for the day on that note, The MNM Crew let the listening audience know that they had the recent opportunity to "break bread" w/Luke at off all places...a Ring Of Honor (whom he classifies as "a whole new era of wrestling") event in Dover, NJ. Thanks to the owner of ROH, Cary Silken, The Mayhem were able to place the names w/the faces w/Bushwacker Luke, and in the process, The Big Mosh became "The Big Marsh-Mellow" overnight. Luke also credits The Mayhem for bringing back their MNM Girls (led by the gorgeous Helena, some of which Luke wishes lived in his neck of the woods in New Zealand.

On a more serious note, Luke will be appearing w/former WWE superstar, Al Snow this Saturday, April 19th (beginning at 10AM ET) @ Bud Carson's Pro Wrestling World and George's Cards & Collectibles for a special autograph signing. Pre-orders are now being accepted. Contact Ken or Steve from K&S WrestleFest at (516) 473-4944. Luke is very much looking forward to meeting his fans from around the country, as besides his ROH appearances, this will be his first signing in close to eight years.

This will be the first time that Luke & Al will be together in close to ten years together, but Luke worked with Al when he kept his wrestling school in Lima, OH open. He has fond memories of working with Al, and is looking forward to seeing him this weekend.

The interview took an interesting twist when DFL credits The Bushwackers of maybe not being one of the best technical teams of all-time, but one of the most comical. In true Bushwacker fashion, Luke took offense at this, and extended the invitation to DFL to lace up the boots to prove his point in person, so to speak. DFL did get to his point of asking Luke his opinions of working w/Jamison towards the end of his & his cousin Butch's run w/the WWE. For those who never knew, Jamison had a theater background, and was brought in after Vince McMahon saw him on Broadway, and thought he would work well w/The Bushwackers. "He was more or less our mascot...he was a good attraction" said Luke. He still gets plenty of fans that come up to him today asking of Jamison's whereabouts believe it or not.

Luke also credits Vince McMahon for having the gumption to try & change the tough Sheepherders, a "heel" tag team to the WWE-ized Bushwackers, a face team.

Who could forget The Bushwackers invading Rhythm & Blues' rendition of "Hunka, Hunka, Honkey Love" at WrestleMania VI in Toronto, Ontario, Canada @ The Rogers Centre (formerly The SkyDome)? Luke remembers the energy in the building that day, and selling programs in the crowd to those in attendance before breaking up The Honky Tonk Man/Greg "The Hammer" Valentine's performance. To this day, he does not forget however being "bushwacked" by Jimmy Hart & his team afterwards, having HTM's guitar smashed across his head -- which led to a brief feud between The Bushwackers and Rhythm & Blues.

Plenty of e-mails were submitted to The Mayhem, wanting to get Luke's impression of the tag team scene back in the late '80's & early '90's within World Wrestling Entertainment. Apart from The Powers Of Pain, Luke wished to go on record as calling The Brain Busters (Tully Blanchard & "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson) as the toughest team they ever worked with in their WWE career.

Several weeks ago, "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" was proud to induct the late Andre the Giant as part of the Monday Night Hall Of Fame. Luke recalls working w/Andre towards the end of his life, as he described what was "a very sad situation." Andre had broken his leg, which took a lot of rehab, and things were not going the best for him. His personal relationship w/Andre went back many years with "The Eighth Wonder Of The World," as he first met Andre in the late '60's as part of Grand Prix Wrestling in Montreal, Quebec. "Andre took care of me & Butch, and we were good friends for a long time....one hell of a guy...very sad to see him go." commented Luke.

Some fans for many years may have always wondered why The Bushwackers never held the WWE World Tag Team Titles. Luke does not frown upon not having the belts in his career, especially after working "the other side of the business" for the past ten years or so. He feels that the straps should be placed around a team who "needs that extra lift" to get themselves over. Luke strongly believes him & Butch never needed the gold, simply because they were already over w/the fans as it was anyways.

Luke agrees with The Big Mosh, in that tag team wrestling from 15-20 years ago to today could very well be "a lost art." Luke wished to point out that Vince took a lot of the great performers who were wrestling as tag teams in other territories and signed them to the then-WWF, as part of his national expansion. So, more or less, it's hard to believe that tag team competition does not have that same zest & flair as it once did. Luke made an interesting comparison to how integral tag teams are still in today's professional wrestling & sports-entertainment: "A good wrestling card is made of all different entertainers: both singles & tag teams."

A lot of old-school fans remember The Bushwackers working w/WWE Hall Of Famer, "Mean" Gene Okerlund on several Coliseum Video releases -- including "Bushwacker Buzzard." Hard to believe, but the last time he had the opportunity to see "Mean Gene" was back at the Gimmick Battle Royal @ WrestleMania X-7 in Houston, TX (which was one of his favorite hometowns to perform in front of as a member of The Sheepherders in the early '80's).

Many fans of today had the chance to see Luke as part of Eric Young's Christmas party this past December on TNA iMPACT. Luke loved the opportunity to interact with some familiar faces that he had crossed paths with in his career, including Jim Cornette, "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner, & "The Instant Classic" Christian Cage. He was very impressed with the finished product that came out on television, and he was very glad that this gave Eric Young a boost. "There's a kid with a lot of talent right there."

Luke was very proud of his time w/his partner Butch in The Sheepherders, and compared what they did as "ECW style," before Extreme Championship Wrestling existed -- blood, guts, Barbed Wire, Steel Cage Matches, Boot Camp Matches, Coal Miner's Glove matches...you name it, and The Sheepherders did it. If there was any one point in time in his career he could go back to, he said that would be it.

If him & Butch were asked to head into the WWE Hall Of Fame, Luke said he would proudly accept the invitation, as he still classifies the WWE as the leader not only in sports & entertainment, but wrestling as well. He would love to become one of their legends, and go into their HOF.

How about some Monday Night Mayhem Word Association w/Bushwacker Luke:

Triple H: "One hell of a piece of talent. He's gone a long way."

The Great Khali: "A giant."

Nigel McGuiness: "I don't understand why the WWE has not picked up on him yet. He can go a long way in our business."

Stephanie McMahon: "The boss' daughter. I remember her when she was a young girl, along with her brother always being backstage. She has become a great entertainer in the business, like the rest of the McMahons."

Jesse "The Body Ventura: "A great body, and a great man on the stick. He could talk people into a house."

All this & much more goodness if contained in this 60-minute shoot w/one of the most-charismatic performers of all-time, including Bushwacker Luke's uncensored thoughts & takes on: this year's "Class Of 2008" in the WWE Hall Of Fame ("The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, The Briscos, Gordon Solie, & Eddie Graham), the Benoit family tragedy, drug testing in today's business, working against The Hardy Boyz back in 1997 at an independent show in North Carolina & what Luke's initial impressions of them were, if Butch & him ever thought about "moving south" to World Championship Wrestling, performing in front of his largest crowd ever @ SummerSlam '92 in Wembley Stadium, his infamous shortest-ever time in the 1991 WWE Royal Rumble (getting eliminated by the late John "Earthquake" Tenta), The Sheepherders' classic battles w/The Fabulous Ones, his recollections of working w/Stu Hart in Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, as well as Luke's response to The Mayhem's senior show correspondent, DFL, doing a live "taste-test" of sardines w/Sweet Sunshine Sauces LIVE next Monday night, April 21st! And will we be seeing a Bushwacker reunion anytime soon on WWE television? You have to tune into the interview to find out...



April 10th Monday Night Mayhem (streaming audio): www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/041008.wax

April 10th Monday Night Mayhem (official MNM podcast):
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/mondaynightmayhem/~3/267424506/ventura

*The most outspoken & no-holds barred guest in Mayhem history! WWE Hall Of Famer, the former governor of Minnesota, & New York Times best-selling author, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, joined "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" as part of his cross-country promotional tour for the release of his new book, "Don't Start The Revolution Without Me." Gov. Ventura breaks down his uncensored thoughts & opinions on the issues of steroids & performance-enhancing substances in wrestling & sports, the retirement of "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair & whether or not he will stay retired, the media's coverage of the wrestling industry since the Benoit tragedy, the chances of him making a cameo appearance on RAW between "Hillary" & "Obama," & his memories of announcing with Vince McMahon & Gorilla Monsoon. Jesse even has some remedies to get the U.S. back on track into the coming months & years ahead, as well as some suggestions for the voters on who to choose in the fall. What lies ahead for one of America's most talked-about figures? The Mayhem's National Correspondent, Scott Hudson, tags in with The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL, for this opinionated, refreshing interview, presented to you commercial-free by Sweet Sunshine, The Monster Factory, & B. Brown Video!

*The Mayhem Crew (The Big Mosh & Blade) strongly encourage all fans around the world to join us LIVE this Monday night, April 14th (beginning at 8PM ET/7PM CT), as "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" will once again take it to the next level! Just days after WWE Hall Of Famer, the former Governor of Minnesota, & New York Times best-selling author, Jesse "The Body" Ventura & 1/2 of The Bushwackers & The Sheepherders, Luke Williams, felt The Mayhem, the pro-wrestling & sports-entertainment scene will have to get ready to brace themselves for one of the most-stacked lineups of any radio program this entire year!



Coming off the biggest contest of his career, you had better believe that The Mayhem will be joined by the NEW TNA World Heavyweight Champion, "The Samoan Submission Machine," Samoa Joe, less than 24 hours after his epic Lockdown Pay-Per-View TNA World Title Match against Kurt Angle. What were his thoughts on the weekend in Boston, his comments on the bout itself, & what lies ahead for his future. And with TNA President, Dixie Carter & ROH booker, Gabe Sapolsky, reportedly meeting at the Ring Of Honor event in Boston this past Friday, what does Joe think is in store for the TNA/ROH future? He is not leaving Total Nonstop Action Wrestling anytime soon fans! The Mayhem will be asking the tough questions, as "The Samoan Submission Machine" will be LIVE! For all of the fallout from this past Sunday night's Lockdown spectacular, head on over to www.TNAWrestling.com.



In addition, in her first live interview/comments since leaving the wrestling business close to four years ago, Terri "Marlena" Runnels will be joining The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL in this Mayhem exclusive! Terri will be on board to promote her appearances at the UWF live events on May 1st (Colonial Heights, VA) & May 2nd (Harrisonburg, VA) in which some you fans have the opportunity to support The Hermie & Elliott Sadler Foundation projects, Autism Speaks, & Kyle Petty's Junction Gang Camp. Fans can manage stars such as WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry "The King"= Lawler, Terri Runnels, Scotty 2 Hotty, Samoa Joe, Shark Boy, Matt "Spike Dudley" Hyson, Joey Matthews, & many more. You can also bid to become the guest ring announcer for the main event match both nights. Check out www.UWFUSA.com, as the auction runs through April 28th.

We look forward to discussing with Terri what it was like being a WWE diva, her run as "Marlena" in the WWE & teaming with Goldust, her memories of working with the late Brian Pillman, managing The Hardy Boyz (and the infamous Terri Invitational Tournament vs. Edge/Christian), Raven, & Perry Saturn, and her time in World Championship Wrestling, as well getting her thoughts on the WWE/TNA products of today & the respective company's divas/knockouts, and the transition of life from inside the squared circle to outside of the business -- into working on her latest projects with children of all ages, her speaking engagements, & much more!

Plus, The Monster Factory's Jim Molineaux returns to the program for another edition of "The Week In ECW" (breaking down last week's Tommy Dreamer/Colin Delaney match, the debut of Bam Neely, & the Backlash ECW Title Match contract signing of Kane & Chavo Guerrero, Joey Styles' recent comments in WWE magazine, as well as the rest of the news from World Wrestling Entertainment, as the E gears up for their return to London, England! And Old Time Wrestling's Ed Atlas will be on board to discuss the rumors of the WWE's new concussion testing, Torrie Wilson's big career decision that lies ahead, & the return of the tag team division within World Wrestling Entertainment? Tag team wrestling may not be dead just yet!

Dial up The Mayhem Line with your questions/comments for Samoa Joe, Terri, Jim Molineaux, & Ed Atlas (presented by The Monster Factory) @ (716) 989-6630 or by e-mailing the program @ MondayNightMayhem@hotmail.com. Be sure to take part in the live, interactive Mayhem chat & Mayhem message board, found exclusively at www.MondayNightMayhem.com. And don't forget to check out The Mayhem on MySpace, located at www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem.

*As we continue the celebration of the new spring 2008 season of The Mayhem, we strongly all of our fans around the world to support all of our fine advertisers/sponsors.



Sweet Sunshine Hot Sauces (official website: www.SweetSunshine.com): "The official finishing sauce of The Mayhem." Six tremendo= us flavors to choose from: Sweet, Warm, Jamaican Jerk, Roasted Shallot & Garlic, Hot, & Atomic! Sweet Sunshine Sauces are the proud winners of three Scovie Awards! And just in time for spring...Sweet Sunshine has made room for their newly-designed bottles (now available), along with their newly-designed & state-of-the-art website. The Sweet Sunshine tag-team of Paul Sarris & Ed Fedorovich joined The Mayhem on WM Sunday for some special WrestleMania XXIV Tailgate recipes, so fire up your computers and check out those delicious WM recipes, courtesy of Sweet Sunshine...The Awesome, All-Natural Sauce!


The Monster Factory (official website: www.MonsterFactory.com): Is there someone special in your life that wants to become the next Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Kurt Angle, or "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. Well, you now have the chance to enroll in the official wrestling school of The Mayhem & one of the most-respected academies in the world. Not to mention, The Monster Factory is the perfect place for children?s birthday parties! Approaching its 25th anniversary in 2009, your source for the best & most complete training is The Monster Factory!



Old Time Wrestling (official website: www.OldTimeWrestling.net) has hit the internet! Check out the latest innovation in professional wrestling on the world-wide-web! Old Time Wrestling is a throwback to "the days of old" in the world of wrestling. For only $9.99/month, you will receive over eight hours of matches to watch at your convenience. You also have the opportunity to witness The Mayhem?s return to OTW (featuring the world-wide debut of the new MNM Girl, Helena, as well seeing The Mayhem?s very own DFL in the OTW Arm Wrestling Challenge). The live broadcast begins every Saturday afternoon at 2PM ET. Head on over to www.OldTimeWrestling.net to connect to wrestling of yesterday with today?s technology. And are you looking for that perfect gift for the wrestling fan in your life? How about tickets to the weekly Old Time Wrestling shows, located at The Monster Factory. Affordable family fun for all ages & for a great price!


Also, check out the official MNM Podcast Page (featuring more than 90+ archived editions of "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio"). You are able to download your favorite editions of The Mayhem...and listen to them at your own leisure. Another exciting feature for you, our loyal listeners -- brought to you by "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio."

All new & old Mayhem listeners can still check out the archived programs/shows of "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" from our six+ years of audio excellence, featuring the official Monday Night Mayhem WrestleMania XXIV Countdown Special (w/J.J. Dillon, The Orlando Sentinel's Andrea Adelson, SLAM Wrestling's Bob Kapur, The Baltimore Sun's Kevin Eck, Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Dan Murphy, & many more), The Mayhem's WrestleMania 23 Countdown Special from Detroit?s Hilton Garden Inn, the official Monday Night Mayhem Dream Reunion II On-Location Special from Kokomo, IN -- featuring: former WWE Diva search contestant Jessica Hatch, Al Snow, Marty Jannetty, Chavo "Classic" Guerrero Sr., "Nasty Boy" Brian Knobbs, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Rosey, The Midnight Express ("Loverboy" Dennis Condrey & "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton), "The Genius" Lanny Poffo, & The Orient Express? Pat Tanaka, & our "Best Of 2007" show (featuring the top three interviews of 2k7 heard on The Mayhem), plus current WWE superstars (Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Candice Michelle, & Charlie Haas), WWE Hall Of Famers (Jim Ross, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, "The Mouth Of The South" Jimmy Hart, The Iron Sheik, Tito Santana, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Harley Race, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, & Don Muraco), the finest from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (Jeff Jarrett, Jim Cornette, Kevin Nash, "The Instant Classic" Christian Cage, "The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe, "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, The Dudley Boyz/Team 3-D, Scott Steiner, Kip/BG James, "The Notorious 187" Homicide, Eric Young, Kaz, & "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal -- along with TNA knockouts Christy Hemme, Gail Kim, & Traci Brooks), Ring Of Honor?s warriors (ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness, "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson, & ROH head booker Gabe Sapolsky), ECW originals (Rob Van Dam, "The Franchise" Shane Douglas, Raven, The Sandman, "The Pitbull" Gary Wolfe, Danny Doring, & ECW founder Tod Gordon), some of the greatest managers in the history of our business (Percy Pringle III/Paul Bearer, "The Doctor Of Style" Slick, JJ Dillon, & Gary Hart), the voices that have called the sport/sports-entertainment for years (World Class? Bill Mercer, the Mid-Atlantic/NWA?s Bob Caudle, & WCW/AWA?s Lee Marshall), wrestling legends/personalities from over the years, past & present (Terry Funk, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, The Honky Tonk Man, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Vader, Konnan, Tully Blanchard, Diamond Dallas Page, "Nasty Boy" Brian Knobbs, Nick "U-Gene" Dinsmore, Low-Ki, "The Wildman" Marc Mero, David "Gangrel" Heath, & Chris Nowinski), & some of the funniest entertainers from around stage & screen (Dave Coulier of TV?s "Full House," VH-1 "Best Week Ever?s" Greg Fitzsimmons of VH-1?s "Best Week Ever," Dustin "Screech" Diamond of TV?s "Saved By The Bell," Howard Stern?s Gary The Retard, "Mad TV?s" Aries Spears, & Comic Relief founder Bob Zmuda). All this & so much more...now available on www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com.

Monday Night Mayhem?s Crew of The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL wish to thank our loyal fans around the world who have helped us get to where we are at now and for your continued dedication, loyalty, & support.

Tags: Bushwhackers, Bushwhacker Luke, Honky Tonk Man, Greg Valentine, WWF, Andre the Giant, TNA, Jim Cornette, Ric Flair, ECW