Bruce Prichard on Something to Wrestle, Raw 25 and Lessons From Vince McMahon

Fred: What’s up, everybody? This is Fred Richani of TSC News. We have right here on the line a very special guest: a former WWE manager and producer, Vince McMahon’s right-hand man for over 20 years, and nowadays the host of the No. 1 podcast out there today, “Something to Wrestle.” Bruce Prichard is getting ready to rock Brooklyn this weekend and Philly the following weekend. Bruce, how’s it going?

Bruce Prichard: It’s going great. Thanks for having me on, man. I appreciate it.

Fred: Before we dive into the success of your podcast, you have not one but two big shows here in the Northeast. Tell us about Brooklyn.

Bruce Prichard: The huge one is this Friday, where we’re partnering with Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets take on the Miami Heat, and right after that we’ll be doing “Something to Wrestle” live with Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson right there at Barclays Center. Tickets start at only $35 at BoxOfGimmicks.com. We’re happy to be working with Barclays Center and the Nets, and we think this is going to be the start of something huge.

Fred: It was confirmed recently on your official Facebook and Twitter that you’ll be returning to Monday Night Raw for the 25th anniversary show as your iconic character, Brother Love. Did you think you’d get the call?

Bruce Prichard: I really didn’t think I would, but you never say never in this business. I’m really happy and kind of proud. Raw was one of my babies, so I’m just happy to be part of the festivities and to see everybody. Then a crazy thing happened this past weekend. WWE put up a poll asking who everyone was most excited about returning. I didn’t even know it was up until someone sent it to me, so we retweeted it, and our audience, the greatest audience in the world, got on there. When I woke up Monday morning, 45 percent were most excited to see Brother Love return. That puts a smile on your face and makes you want to give that much more love to our audience.

Fred: I checked right before we hopped on the air: 45 percent for Brother Love. You’re beating out Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Bruce Prichard: I think it’s the power of our podcast audience. Our listeners are extremely passionate about the show, and whenever we ask them to support us, they support us in droves. We’re looking for a lot of that this Friday in Brooklyn.

Fred: What a lot of people don’t know is that you had a podcast before this one. What led you to get back into podcasting with your co-host Conrad Thompson, and have you been surprised by the success?

Bruce Prichard: When I did the first one in 2009, podcasting was really in its infancy. We called it internet radio at the time. John Layfield talked me into doing that show. It was a one-man show, me talking for an hour about what was going on in the wrestling business, and we did great numbers, around 20,000 a week. But when I went to work for TNA in 2010, it was a conflict of interest, so I stopped. I had no desire to do another podcast. Conrad pitched the concept to me after I told him a story about The Radicalz. He said, “Man, that’s a podcast.” I said, “That’s never going to happen.” After several weeks of prodding, I said, “OK, we’ll do it to sell mortgages.” And I’ll be damned if it didn’t just take off.

Fred: So you hooked up through Conrad’s mortgage business?

Bruce Prichard: We were friends, and I was working with him in the mortgage industry. That’s where SaveWithBruce.com comes from. I thought I was out of the wrestling business, and lo and behold, just when you think you’re out, they pull you back in.

Fred: Was there anything about podcasting that turned out harder than it looked?

Bruce Prichard: Not really. Maybe getting the right system for my home office and putting acoustic foam all over the place, little things to make the quality better and stand out from the crowd. The concept is simple: our audience picks a topic for the most part, and we tear it to shreds with a deep dive. The podcast is about my recollections, what I went through and how things affected me. It’s my story, so that part is pretty easy.

Fred: The perception of anybody close to Vince McMahon is that he must be a yes-man. Listening to your podcast, you realize you weren’t just a witness to some of WWE’s greatest moments but a participant. Has the podcast reminded you of how much you contributed?

Bruce Prichard: It’s nice to reminisce. Jim Ross and I were laughing about this the other day: If something was good, Vince got a lot of the credit, and if something was bad, we were dumbasses. You get used to that, and if you truly love the business, it doesn’t matter who gets the credit. The talent are the ones who have to go out and perform. If they’re great performers and storytellers, you’ve got a good product. We just had to create the stories and get the most out of the performers in front of us. Monday Night Raw was something I came up with out of cost-cutting. What if we did a live show in the Northeast every week? If we routed everything through the Northeast, we’d cut the cost of flying talent in every Monday for a live prime-time show, which is what Vince wanted. It grew from that germ of an idea to what it is today.

Fred: You learned under Vince McMahon and under Houston’s Paul Boesch. What are the most important lessons they taught you?

Bruce Prichard: One of the biggest life lessons Vince ever taught me is that you judge people on how they treat you, not on perception, rumor and innuendo. Someone may come in with the worst reputation in the world because of circumstances somewhere else, so you start them with a clean slate and give them the benefit of the doubt. Most of the time, if you’re fair and up front with people, they’ll be fair and up front with you. You’ll always have your jerks, but it’s a better environment when everybody knows where they stand.

The best lesson I learned from Pat Patterson, who I worked with for so many years, applies to anyone in a creative atmosphere. The two best words in my vocabulary are “what if.” I had a habit, when someone presented an idea I didn’t like, of saying, “Wow, that stinks,” and telling them every reason why, and it came across very harsh. Pat said, “Why don’t you say, ‘What if,’ and present another idea?” Instead of saying it stinks, you say, “OK, that’s good, but what if we tried it this way?” It makes them stop for a minute and try on a new idea.

Fred: You’ve talked on the podcast about how, in your first WWF run, you were very young and kind of abrasive, and you were more nuanced the second time around.

Bruce Prichard: The first time, my gosh, I was 24 years old, running the television studio and also a talent. I thought, “This will never end. They can’t fire me. I’m perfect.” You get humbled and cut down, and you realize maybe there’s a different way to approach things. Once you learn that, life is a whole lot easier, not only for you but for everybody around you.

Fred: Was there a point when you thought, “I know exactly what I’m doing”?

Bruce Prichard: I don’t know that any of us ever really know what the hell we’re doing. In a creative business, you pitch ideas and try new things and hope it’s right. There are a lot of right answers and a lot of wrong answers, but as long as you’re trying something and not staying complacent, you grow. I think I was pretty good at what I did, but we can always learn more and get better.

Fred: When you got into the business, did you want to be a pro wrestler and a world champion?

Bruce Prichard: I always wanted to be the world champion, wrestle in the main event and have everything centered around me. Then I blew my knee out at 18, and Paul Boesch, the promoter in Houston, said words that rang in my head forever after: “You have longevity in the office, and the money is behind the scenes, not in the ring.” I got in the office and saw that in creative, you get to be everybody. When you’re writing television and booking, you get to be all the characters. I landed in the office, loved it and never got out. I also got to perform as Brother Love and do things as a performer I never thought I’d get to do. I had the best of all worlds.

Fred: Your brother, Dr. Tom Prichard, started as a wrestler and became a well-respected trainer. Did he have the same mindset?

Bruce Prichard: All Tom ever wanted to do was be a wrestler. He never saw himself in the office. If Tom could be main eventing in a territory somewhere right now, he’d be extremely happy. But Father Time takes its toll, and to stay in the business long term, you have to adapt. Tom’s gift is training, sharing his knowledge and getting the best out of young talent. As great as he was in the ring, I think his legacy will be training people like Kurt Angle and The Rock, and the list goes on.

Fred: Back in the developmental days, whether it was HWA or OVW, you’d sometimes send main roster guys like D’Lo Brown or Val Venis down to work with the younger guys. Should WWE do that more?

Bruce Prichard: Yes, and I think they’re doing it, maybe not as prevalently as we did. What I loved about how Jim Ross and I did developmental was that we had systems all over the country: Memphis, Louisville, Tampa, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Los Angeles and Massachusetts. Talent was exposed to audiences used to different styles from the territory days. What worked in California may not work in Atlanta, and what works in Atlanta may not work in Massachusetts or Memphis. Talent learned what works everywhere, and then it was time to bring them to the WWF. Now they have a great facility at the Performance Center in Orlando, and top guys go down there to share their experience.

Fred: The late ’90s and early 2000s felt like a sink-or-swim era with so much talent. Is there anybody from developmental you’re surprised never became a bigger star?

Bruce Prichard: I always felt Sean Morley could have been a much bigger star if he hadn’t come in as Val Venis, the former porn star. He had the charisma and the attitude. That’s not to say he didn’t do very well with the character, but without it, I think he could have gone even further.

Fred: In 2003 you made him Chief Morley, Eric Bischoff’s chief of staff, and he did really well, but he went back to Val Venis. Could the new character have succeeded?

Bruce Prichard: First impressions last a lifetime. The audience’s first impression was Val Venis the former porn star, and that sticks no matter how much you try to change someone. It has to be something really powerful. Look at Stone Cold Steve Austin. He came in as The Ringmaster, and he wasn’t comfortable with it. Steve gradually changed right before the audience’s eyes into Stone Cold, something he came up with and believed in. That’s why it was so successful. There’s not a lot of gimmick to it. What you see is what you get.

Fred: On reinvention, John Bradshaw Layfield, who’s also appearing at Raw 25, reinvented himself almost overnight.

Bruce Prichard: That was a tough one, because people saw him as the cowboy and as part of the APA. What made JBL work was that it was who John Layfield truly is. He’s a financial whiz and extremely bright. He wakes up at 5 in the morning, reads The Wall Street Journal and a bunch of newspapers, and studies the stocks. We took that, turned it up a notch, took his natural, loud, abrasive Texas personality and made it louder. It’s believable because it’s true.

Fred: We’ve got a ton of fan questions. Are you surprised at all by the Hollywood success of John Cena and The Rock?

Bruce Prichard: Not at all. Both are naturals with charisma that lets them walk into a room and command it without saying a word.

Fred: Are you and John Cena on good terms? On the Cena episode of your podcast, you told the story of telling him to get off the gas, and how for years afterward he’d bring you his drug test results to show he passed.

Bruce Prichard: John and I were on good terms when we left. I love John Cena to death and I’m so proud of everything he’s done. That was just John’s little dig to let me know not to judge a book by its cover, and he was right. He quieted every critic out there.

Fred: It’s being reported by PWInsider that Paige, at 25, is retiring from in-ring competition on doctors’ orders. If you could speak to her, what advice would you give?

Bruce Prichard: Look at it as a brand-new beginning. Whenever anybody faces the reality that their career is over, it’s hard. She’s been performing since she was about 13, and now she has to do something else. But she has the experience and the knowledge. She comes from a family of promoters, she’s a beautiful young lady, and she knows how to perform in and out of the ring. She has a unique look and something very special about her, so there’s a lot she can do. Because of her injuries, this was probably going to happen in another five or 10 years anyway. It just happened sooner, and because she’s so young, she can go out, learn and really capitalize on this time.

Fred: And medically, it could have been a lot worse.

Bruce Prichard: Exactly. She could have been paralyzed. Now she can live her life without worrying that the next bump will put her out for the rest of her life.

Fred: The first-ever women’s Royal Rumble is right around the corner. Who from the past would you like to see return?

Bruce Prichard: First of all, it’s about time. We have a level of women’s performers in WWE and pretty much everywhere who are great to watch. They’re not just out there being eye candy, valets or managers. They’re performing. From the past, I hope Trish Stratus is part of it. Trish was greener than grass when she came in, but when she left, she was at the top of the heap, and she got better every day. Lita, for her health reasons, I hope she doesn’t come back, but it would be nice. Natalya stands out above the pack. And it’ll be interesting to see if somebody like Ronda Rousey makes her debut.

Fred: There’s rumor and innuendo, to quote your buddy Conrad…

Bruce Prichard: Wait a minute, that’s my quote. He’s the one who spreads rumor and innuendo. I’m the one who clarifies it.

Fred: Thank you for clarifying, Mr. Love. Reportedly, The Undertaker will return at Raw 25 and start an angle with John Cena for a long-awaited WrestleMania match. Full disclosure, he’s one of my all-time favorites, but in his match with Roman Reigns, he didn’t look that great physically. Is one more match the right call?

Bruce Prichard: I think he could have 20 more matches. As long as he can make that entrance, even with the aid of a walker, and get down to the ring and do a chokeslam, the audience will be happy to see him and blow the roof off the place. He’s a very special attraction. And I saw him over Thanksgiving, and I’ve never seen him look better. I thought, “Did we go back 15 years?” He was skipping up stairs and moving great. He’s only two or three years younger than I am, and the bastard looks like he’s 35 again. I don’t know if it’s the best idea for him to try to have a match like he’s had in the past, but going out and doing some Undertaker things, I think he could do that for another 10 or 20 years. If he were within choking distance of me right now, he’d probably choke me out for saying that.

Fred: How much money would there be in a true Undertaker retirement tour?

Bruce Prichard: It would be the right thing to do, but I don’t know if Undertaker would want that. He’s a humble guy. I think he’d want one last match and to say goodbye. For probably the last eight WrestleManias, I’ve texted him before he goes out and afterward, and every year he’s told me that’s the last one. When I saw him, I showed him the text messages: “Remember you said last year was the last one?” So you never say never. But I do believe if he made that definitive statement, that would be it. He hasn’t made it yet.

Fred: The Undertaker character gets away with a lot of supernatural stuff. Was there ever a moment where he said, “This is too wacky even for the Undertaker”?

Bruce Prichard: Not that I recall. Vince has a way of putting you under a spell momentarily, making you think this is the greatest thing in the whole wide world, and then you walk out of the room and go, “What?”

Fred: Was there ever an idea you pitched to Vince that you thought couldn’t miss, but it never saw the light of day?

Bruce Prichard: The biggest one was Mr. America: Hulk Hogan and Mr. America against Vince McMahon. If Mr. America lost, Hulk Hogan and Mr. America were gone from the WWF forever, and if Vince lost, he’d get his head shaved. We had actually started putting it into the works, but it never saw the light of day.

Fred: Scott Anderson asks: Bobby Lashley has reportedly left Impact Wrestling. You worked with him in WWE and TNA. Would you like to see him back with Vince?

Bruce Prichard: Yes. I think Lashley would be a great addition, the type of performer you could build into a believable and intriguing opponent for somebody like Brock Lesnar.

Fred: I’m assuming this one’s a joke, from Allan Wu: What’s your favorite 205 Live match?

Bruce Prichard: The one with the guy, where he met the other guy. I have to admit, I’ve watched one 205 Live ever, and not out of not enjoying it. I DVR Raw and SmackDown and I just forget about it, which is a shame.

Fred: To be fair, there’s a lot of wrestling to keep up with. What’s your favorite Raw moment that you were involved in, and one you just witnessed?

Bruce Prichard: There are so many, but when Steve Austin drove the Zamboni into the arena and hit that curtain, I was the only person on the other side of it, because that’s where the Gorilla position was and I had to be there for cues. Steve had come through blind, with the curtain in his face, and had no idea anybody was back there. That sticks out the most, probably because I almost died. As for one I witnessed, it was when The Rock finally decided to take matters into his own hands, not necessarily follow the script, and start having fun. That’s when his character really blossomed.

Fred: What will it take for the Bullet Club to fill a 10,000-seat arena? The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega are putting on a show in September called All In after Dave Meltzer inadvertently challenged them to sell 10,000 seats.

Bruce Prichard: The fact that we’re talking about them tells you so much. They’re the hottest act in New Japan right now, and they’re parlaying that success into something back in the States. They’re young talent with enormous drive and determination, and I think they’ll be just fine. I hope to hell they have a turnaway crowd and bring competition to the forefront, so WWE goes, “Hey, wait a minute.” It makes everybody better and gives more talent more opportunity. I wish them well.

Fred: You and Conrad aren’t doing so badly yourselves, performing at Barclays and the ECW Arena. Do you feel like you’re breaking barriers for other podcasts?

Bruce Prichard: Right here we’ve got the Academy of Podcasters award for podcast of the year in sports and recreation, and behind me is the Sports Illustrated award for best sports media podcast. So we had a pretty good year. Hashtag humble brag. In 2018 we’re looking to do a lot of new things and create different ways to experience our brand of entertainment.

Fred: You merchandise everything. Was that the plan from the start?

Bruce Prichard: No. We went in to increase our mortgage footprint. I had a couple of shirts at Pro Wrestling Tees, and every time you sell a shirt, you get an email. I started getting all these emails and realized, “Oh my God, people are listening to the show and buying my shirts.” Things we said on the show became shirts, and so on. Then Conrad asked me, “Have you called people and said thank you?” That’s a damn good idea, so I started calling people. It takes a minute to say thank you to someone who buys a shirt. It started as something to say thank you, and that’s what it remains.

Fred: That’s something DDP has done for a long time with his yoga. He called me out of the blue to thank me for buying DDP Yoga. How important is gratitude in wrestling and podcasting?

Bruce Prichard: We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our audience. You wouldn’t be talking to me if we weren’t getting this kind of support. It doesn’t take a whole lot to say thank you, and I really am humbled by it. The true measuring stick is that people leave their homes, get in their cars and come to a club or theater to watch us live. And they spend three, four or five hours a week listening to us dissect a topic, from Conrad’s research to my BS and storytelling. That’s something I’m proud of.

Fred: Do you feel Vince McMahon has that same appreciation for fans? There’s a perception that he does whatever the hell he wants.

Bruce Prichard: Absolutely. Vince is very perceptive about his audience. He keeps track of who’s watching, when they’re watching, why they’re watching, and more importantly, why they’ve stopped watching. When I started there in 1987, guys told me Vince had lost touch and didn’t have a clue anymore. They’re saying that in 2018 too. For 30 years people have thought he was out of touch, but he was so far ahead of the curve that it didn’t make sense to a lot of people. He listens to the audience, though he may interpret it differently than everyone else, and he’s not always right. I butted heads with him for years: “You’re not hearing what I’m hearing.” He’d say, “And you’re not hearing what I’m hearing. We agree we’re hearing something different, but it’s my company, and I’m going this way.” OK. He made sure I got paid.

Fred: From Dustin Sussman: What do you think of MMA fighters like Conor McGregor using pro wrestling tactics to hype their fights?

Bruce Prichard: Why not? It works. It’s all about hype and promotion, and I think most of those guys are wrestling fans. If they’re not using it, they’re not learning.

Fred: From George: You do so many impressions, from Vince McMahon to Jim Cornette, Pat Patterson and Paul Heyman. Do you have a Conrad Thompson impression?

Bruce Prichard: I do not. As much as Conrad and I talk, I haven’t picked one up. Vince was second nature, Dusty was second nature. I just fall into them. I’ll get there eventually.

Fred: We’d be remiss not to ask for one, and since it’s my personal favorite, can you give us your Paul Heyman?

Bruce Prichard: (As Heyman) “Brock Lesnar is the single greatest attraction in the history of the business, and I am his advocate.” Paul is a mad scientist and kind of an evil genius, and I’m happy he’s finally gotten the recognition he deserved for so many years. He was looked at one way with ECW, but Paul’s a really bright guy and the best mouthpiece in the business, bar none.

Fred: Paul Heyman has been back since 2012. Did you ever think after he left so abruptly that he’d be back?

Bruce Prichard: Sure. I didn’t think I would be, but I thought Paul would. And I’m only back for a one-off. Never say never.

Fred: Hypothetically, if WWE wanted you on the WWE Network as a host or interviewer, would you be open to it?

Bruce Prichard: Of course. I’d be crazy not to. But I want to continue doing what I’m doing now, because I’m having a blast, and it’s probably the reason they asked me back for the 25th anniversary.

Fred: How long does it take to get into Brother Love mode, with the red face and the suit?

Bruce Prichard: Probably about an hour to totally transform, and then I have to transform mentally and become Brother Love.

Fred: Any Royal Rumble predictions? The men’s and women’s Rumble matches, AJ Styles against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, and the Universal title match with Brock, Kane and Braun Strowman.

Bruce Prichard: Brock’s definitely walking out as champion. I think Roman Reigns will win the Royal Rumble, at least I hope he does. In spite of everything and the way the perceived audience looks at him, I think he’s one of the hottest tickets they have and a hell of a talent who, put in the right position, could be the guy. The women’s Rumble is so wide open, with a lot of new talent introduced in the last couple of months. Anybody can win it, and I don’t think anybody would be disappointed. And AJ, I’m a big fan. They need to strap that rocket to AJ and let him go.

Fred: Is there anybody who hasn’t quite reached superstardom yet who you think could be money in a few years?

Bruce Prichard: Braun Strowman is going to be huge money in a few years. Elias is another one.

Fred: Elias is a bit of a surprise. A lot of people see him as a poor man’s Honky Tonk Man.

Bruce Prichard: Wow. No, he’s got a special charisma about him, a very quiet charisma. He’s got the look and the attitude, and he can go when it’s time to go. He can talk, he can sing. I don’t know if he can dance. But he has an aura about him, and when he’s on the screen, you’re mesmerized.

Fred: If Elias is main eventing in a couple of years, we’ll say Bruce Prichard had it first. Last question: You’ve been hired and fired and fired again, you suffered two heart attacks a few years back, and now you’re back in wrestling through podcasting. What’s the best life advice you can give?

Bruce Prichard: Never give up, and don’t accept no for an answer. Sometimes the answer is no, and it’s how you accept it and what you do with it. You can tuck your tail between your legs and run away, or you can fight to change it. Sometimes you go in a different direction than you thought, which is exactly what I did. I gave up in a lot of respects, but I didn’t give up on myself. I took everything I learned in 40-some years in the wrestling business and moved it in a different direction, and that opened up a whole new world I didn’t know was there. There are a couple of reasons people fail: fear of failure and fear of people. I’ve never been afraid of people. One of my biggest criticisms of Vince was that he never allowed us to fail. He’d pull the plug on things that weren’t working, and I’d say, “If we get around that next corner, I truly believe it will succeed.” I’m not afraid to fail, and I’m not afraid of people. If you keep your head down, truly believe and keep working, things work out.

Fred: Well said. The floor is yours to plug Brooklyn, Philly and where fans can find “Something to Wrestle.”

Bruce Prichard: Brooklyn is this Friday night at Barclays Center, part of a doubleheader with the Brooklyn Nets against the Miami Heat, with “Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson” live right after the game. Tickets start at only $35 at BoxOfGimmicks.com. It’s going to be a history-making event. A week later, on Saturday, Jan. 27, we’ll be in Philadelphia at the old ECW Arena for a doubleheader with Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Follow the show on Twitter at @PrichardShow, Conrad is at @HeyHeyItsConrad, and I’m @BrucePrichard. On Instagram we’re at @PrichardShow, and on Facebook it’s “Something to Wrestle.” Go to BrucePrichard.com. Don’t put a T in my name; put one on your back. The podcast is on all major platforms, or go to SomethingToWrestle.com.

Fred: Bruce, thanks so much for your time. Have some fun in Brooklyn and Philly.

Bruce Prichard: Thanks for having me on. Anytime.