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Honky Tonk Man Talks WWE In 1987

Posted: Mar 4th 2010 By: CMBurnham

Timeline: The History of the WWE 1987
(As told by The Honky Tonk Man)
Kayfabe Commentaries
Kayfabecommentaries.com
$20.00
Reviewed by Joe Babinsack

HTM. The Honky Tonk Man. (Roy) Wayne Farris. ?The Greatest Intercontinental Champion of all Time?

Who better to chronicle the year 1987 for the then WWF, in an ongoing effort by Kayfabe Commentaries to provide the history of the industry?s 800 lb gorilla, by the characters and voices who were at the center of the storm in the year in question?

And, who better to provide in-depth details than a man who has an old school soul, even to this day, and an understanding of the inside and outside perceptions of the WWE/F?s business?

Why Honky Tonk and 1987?

Well, because on June 2nd of that year, the supposed Elvis-impersonator snatched gold from Ricky Steamboat and launched a title reign so immensely legendary that even Santino Marella aspired to his lofty numbers in days the Intercontinental Belt was held.

Honky Tonk was the man in 1987, and his character still maintains a cult-like attraction. Equal parts comedy, Elvis, determined wrestler and knowledgeable, the tongue-in-cheek aspect of the cartoon character thrives to this day.

Recent rumors of HTM to TNA weren?t taken with laughter as much as they were taken with plausibility. And pause.

Recent suggestions that the HTM was going to be enshrined in the mythical WWE Hall of Fame were readily rebuffed, not by an inherent inability to reconcile him in that makeshift apparatus of Vince McMahon?s imagination, but by the reality that the restrictions of entering that honor would significantly lower Wayne Farris?s income and use of the character he made worldly famous.

He?

Certainly. Because while the WWF at the time imbued gimmicks upon adequate performers, the WWF at the time can boast of few true success stories as it can with the Honky Tonk Man himself. Few guys of the era had the swagger, the mainstream appeal, the hidden talent and the sheer presence of Farris.

I mean, seriously, how can you be The Honky Tonk Man, wear that smile on your face, and take yourself so seriously?

Watch the DVD and find out.

Because, short of Jimmy Cornette or New Jack, the HTM is the man of Kayfabe Commentaries. He has an understanding that goes beyond his years, an approach as unimpeachable as any, and a melding of character and real life that defies description.

Honky doesn?t just know it, he dismisses immediately any retort about what he presents.

You want his take on things, just ask.

C?mon, do you really want to compare Honky Tonk and The Snake? Does Jake complain about getting hit by a real guitar and that being the ruination of his career, sending him down the dark and evil path of addiction to pain pills? Sure he does. And what does the Man say about that?

Please!

And it?s not what he says about it, it?s how. It?s not that he disputes it, but the attitude that he conveys. It?s not just his indignity, but how he expresses it. And his retort to the research capabilities of the great writer Mick Foley is equally priceless.

I mean, this is a clinic on being a professional wrestler, but one of the most underrated greats.

Honky is a storyteller, who can spill the beans about the locker room, explain the nuances of the storylines, and never miss a beat in analysis.

I was impressed by his approach to the various things going on in 1987, from Bruno Sammartino to Jake Roberts, from WrestleMania to the Iron Shiek/Jim Duggan situation, from Paul Boesch to what was going on with the paydays for those dolls.

Was Outback Jack all he wasn?t cracked up to be?

Was Jimmy Hart a great manager?

And how did The Honky Tonk Man manage to cut those excellent promos and videos on his introduction to the WWF?

The story of how he went from up-and-coming heel to taking Butch Reed?s spot in dethroning Ricky Steamboat, and more interesting, how Steamboat asked for a sabbatical mere weeks after gaining the belt at WrestleMania II is a story that should sell the DVD all by itself!

But this is the year 1987, and star who screamed ?I?m cool, I?m cocky, I?m bad? had an indelible mark upon the industry that year.

At WrestleMania, he scored a great win over Jake Roberts, and tells funny stories about Jake?s snake, and dealing with Alice Cooper.

It was dealing with Jake throughout the year that put this Man on the map. Jake?s inability to make dates brought in a variety of legends to fill that spot, and Farris had to work with guys like the Crusher and Bruno Sammartino.

(As an aside, I spoke with Bruno, and he respected the HTM in the ring. I guess Farris figured he?d have to carry the nearly 50 Sammartino in the ring, and was quite impressed that Bruno gave him a workout instead, as Bruno wasn?t someone who took it easy in the ring and especially not when he was surrounded by a wrestling culture being dismantled by drugs and nonsense.)

Honky eventually rose to main event status, and was integral to the formation of the ?Mega Powers? and the face turn of Randy Savage, with the assistance of the Hart Foundation.

Funny how that one shove created the memorable angle.

But that was a simpler time, and one where a so-called Elvis impersonator could rise to the top as an awesome heel, manage to establish himself as a main eventer with the ?Shake, Rattle and Roll? and otherwise dominate a time frame when Hulk Hogan was a wee bit stale, and the transition to Randy Savage was very much played out with the Honky Tonk Man?s interventions.

Kayfabe Commentaries continues to dole out interesting perspectives on its Timeline, and 1987 is one DVD that?s a can?t miss addition to the project.

Tags: Honky Tonk Man, 1987, WWF, Jim Cornette, Jake Roberts, Mick Foley, Jim Duggan, Butch Reed