King Kong Bundy [Pro-Wrestling Diaries Shoot Interview]



The Good
I have largely enjoyed Pro-Wrestling Diaries shoots and you could definitely make a case that this one was their best. King Kong Bundy, who worked on top in the WWF in their glory days of the 1980s, crossed paths with many legendary and not-so-legendary personalities. He is an extremely honest person, has a great sense of humor and excellent delivery (he has done some stand-up after all). While some might think he comes across as bitter, I think he comes across as pretty down-to-earth and straightforward. He has his pet peeves (poor tippers, stooges, bullies and selfish types) and he is willing to fling mud at anyone and everyone. However, he does not out and out bury many people. He admits if he had a personality clash with someone like Randy Savage or Andre the Giant, but typically he can give people credit if they were talented. While a lot of this is negative, it almost seems like a comedy act as he plays a nasty old Don Rickles. Bret Hart became very conceited, Honky Tonk Man ran out on bills, Ernie Ladd manipulated youngsters for his own benefit, Andre the Giant was petty and selfish, Bam Bam Bigelow had delusions of grandeur and so on. Many opinions are widely held - Nikolai Volkoff and Tony Garea were cheap to a fault; the Dynamite Kid, Bill Watts and Adrian Adnois were bullies; and Hulk Hogan's boys (Honky, Brutus, etc.) grew big egos and never sold the fact that Hogan brought them to the dance. This seemed to provide some unique perspectives as well as much of the same old stuff.

The Bad
I feel like overly negative shoot interviews are not necessarily everyone's preference, but many people who invest in them want some real meat to their shoots. King Kong Bundy provides that here. Of course, he has a number of guys who were "good guys" and even some them he points out their personality flaws. Many were "pricks" or "assholes" who abused their peers, fans or just everyday folks. Bundy seems to be a man of some moral fiber and he was bothered by some of the negative things he saw in the business whether it was drug abuse, attitude problems or some of things that rubbed him the wrong way that I previously mentioned. This was enjoyable, but realize that it is not all pats on the back and putting people over.

The Rating: ****1/2