Ronnie P. Gossett [Highspots Shoot Interview]

The Good
If you don't know who Ronnie P. Gossett is, he is a heel manager of the Percy Pringle, Jim Cornette or Kenny Bolin grain. A slick talker who plays an arrogant, yet blubbery Southern jerk, Gossett never really traveled much outside of Tennessee where he was staple for a long time. Sometimes listening to that guy who worked a territory for many years is more fascinating because there is more depth. Listening to his thoughts on Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawler was insightful. I've always been under the impression that Jarrett's booking was superior to Lawler's (they switched off every six months), but Gossett refutes that. He has choice comments for all kinds of stars who came through the Tennessee region. Certainly there were many and he had anecdotes about many and opinions on people whether they came through or not. There is all kind of great tales here, whether it is Ronnie selling Nick Gulas's promotion to some "marks" (a lawyer, a doctor, etc.) or him talking about Brian Pillman being a gigolo. Gossett is a fantastic talker (he was a great Southern manager after all), so he is able to really bury some people. The Jarretts, Hulk Hogan, Bill Dundee, Missy Hyatt, Bert Prentice and on and on, no one is immune to the wrath of Ronnie P. Gossett.

The Bad
If you don't have any interest in Southern wrestling, specifically Tennessee rasslin', then you probably will not care for this. Honestly, Gossett does not seem bitter, but he certainly has some grudges. He has a lot of negative things to say and rips on a lot of people, if that seems bitter or angry to you, then avoid this shoot interview. The one thing I felt was missing was that it was pretty widely known that Gossett was gay. Although not part of his persona, it just seems that his life in pro-wrestling as a gay man has some intrigue that was never touched upon here. Sadly, Gossett died shortly after this interview.

The Rating: ***3/4