David Penzer Recalls Wild WCW Incidents With Randy Savage And Brian Pillman
Host of "Sitting Ringside" and former WCW ring announcer David Penzer was on a recent episode of The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Wrestling Inc. Managing Editor Nick Hausman asked Penzer about his time in WCW, and with two recent documentaries done on him, Hausman asked Penzer about his interactions with Ultimate Warrior.
"I don't know that I ever even was introduced to him," Penzer admitted. "He came in, and he had an entourage or the military security guys. And he went to his dressing room, and he did his business and that's cool. Not everybody wants to go out drinking afterwards. Some people want to go to their room and just do business. Like I said, I don't think I ever even was introduced to him or got to introduce myself to him.
"Usually, the house shows were the best chance to get to know guys. That's how I got to know Randy Savage. God bless him. It wasn't through TVs because he was sort of holed up in his own room, but when we did the house shows, we ended up at the same hotel. Everybody just got to talk. There was no stars. Everybody was just there trying to pass the time, but Ultimate Warrior, I really never interacted with him at all."
The Randy Savage A&E biography was received with controversy with many in the wrestling world calling it a "hit-piece." Penzer discussed his personal experiences with The Macho Man and if he ever saw anything weird with Randy's interactions with Miss Elizabeth.
"I think that was gone by then because they were divorced," Penzer recalled. "He was a very intense guy, but only thing I ever saw was him wanting to put on a great show. Sometimes he grabbed me before that Nitro or Thunder if I had to participate in the match in any way, if he was gonna grab a chair. There was one time he smacked me, and [Michael] Buffer couldn't believe it and Buffer look petrified. We wouldn't tell anybody, but no, he was always very nice, very quiet and intense, but whenever I got to interact with him, mostly on house show runs, nicest guy in the world."
Hausman then asked Penzer about the subject of another recent buzzy documentary on Dark Side Of The Ring, Brian Pillman.
"Well, that was the beginning of working boys," Penzer noted. "I'll never forget the meeting... I did have not gotten a chance see that one yet... I don't know if they spoke about the Disney talent meeting where I think he stormed off or at least he wouldn't shut up, and nobody had ever seen anything like that. We had no reason to believe it was a work. Eric [Bischoff] sold it great, and it took us a while with the [Kevin] Sullivan thing.
"Finally put two and two together but for the longest time, nobody could figure out what the heck he was doing. Hey, it was entertainment to the boys because we never knew what you were going to get. You weren't going to be in trouble. I wasn't gonna be in trouble if I got entertained by him chewing out Eric in a talent meeting in Disney or getting in a fight with the booker. It was entertaining for us. It was sort of the beginning of a whole different world of pro wrestling, sports entertainment, whatever you want to call it with the work / shoot thing that kept going, especially on Nitro, we never knew who was going to walk out.
"One week it was [Roddy] Piper, and I remember even the second episode, I think Sabu came out. Piper would come out, and it would be like you're surprised, but you're like, 'Really? Are you really surprised?' I'm just surprised that it's this week. I'm not surprised that we're playing that music.' It was always fun, and you never knew what you were going to get. And nobody told me, and I'm glad because I wouldn't want it to know, wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
"Sitting Ringside w/ David Penzer" returns to AdFreeShows.com on Thursday June 10! Follow David on Twitter for more info @DavidPenzer. You can find the full audio and video from David's interview below: