PWTORCH.COM
VIP SIGN-UP JUMP TO VIP
CONTACT US VISIT MMA TORCH




Select Next Article by Category





TAKE PWTORCH
WITH YOU!

PWTORCH IPHONE APP
Get our iPhone App (FREE!): Click Here
Or enter "PWTorch.com" on your Blackberry or other Smart Phone browser for mobile-version of PWTorch.


RADICAN'S TAKE
RADICAN'S RF VIDEO DVD REVIEW: Face Off With Honky Tonk Man & Raven
Feb 28, 2007 - 3:16:00 PM


By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

Radican’s RF Video DVD Review
Faceoff With Honky Tonk Man & Raven
By Sean Radican, Torch Columnist


“Face Off With Honky Tonk Man and Raven” is a new concept from RF Video that will feature Raven and various wrestling personalities discussing wrestling. The first guest wrestler in this series is the Honky Tonk Man. I would have never thought to put these two wrestlers on camera together to discuss various topics in wrestling, but it ended up working out very well. Both men have been in the wrestling business for a long time and have unique opinions on the business, which results in a lot of hilarious commentary on various topics in wrestling from both men.

The first hour of the DVD focuses heavily on Raven and Honky Tonk Man talking about young wrestlers not knowing how to work a crowd. Both men say that young wrestlers rely too much on high-flying, but don’t know how to cut money drawing promos. The highlight of Raven and Honky’s discussion of young wrestlers learning how to work a crowd is Honky talking about how he learned to animate his body by wearing a mask in the ring for several years. Honky says young wrestlers rely too much on flipping their hair to sell a move, but they don’t animate their body. I think all young wrestlers should wear a mask as Honky did, as their selling is sometimes non-existent, but by wearing a mask, young wrestlers would learn how to sell blows more effectively. I see many young wrestlers on the independent scene not sell moves and rely on using too much high-flying and high-impact maneuvers, which is almost always forgettable.

One of the biggest pluses of this DVD is Raven and Honky talking about how the wrestling business was when they were coming in and how it is now, which is particularly interesting to listen to when they talk about the lack of respect young wrestlers have for veterans on the independent scene and only care about getting their stuff in. It is thought provoking to listen to Honky talk about how difficult to work with wrestlers on the independent scene because they lie about their experience in the ring. Honky comments on how independent wrestlers may say they have 2 years in the ring, but then he finds out they’ve only wrestled six matches. Raven also chimes in about how the young wrestlers he works with on the independent scene get upset when he tells them they aren’t going to get all their spots in during a match, but thank him after doing the match his way.

The topics of Honky getting into the WWE Hall of Fame, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, and Goldberg are all brought up, but the DVD really kicks into gear when Honky and Raven discuss a list of the 101 dirtiest rumors in pro wrestling. Honky and Raven rarely spend much time saying whether or not the stated rumor is true, but instead go on entertaining tangents, which are often funny. One of the best stories Honky tells is about going to Scotland to wrestle with Marty Jannety to get baptized, but it turns out Jannety doesn’t stay true to his beliefs for long and is knocking on Honky’s door at 3 in the morning looking for a drink.

Raven and Honky go on to talk about King Kong Bundy, Britney Spears nude pictures on the internet and Raven’s shocking statement about them to Honky, and other wrestlers finding religion. The DVD closes with Honky and Raven talking about how wrestlers used to settle their differences in comparison to how they settle them in public now. Honky talks about how he had a problem with the Dynamite Kid and goes into great detail about how Dynamite Kid acted backstage. Honky then cuts a great promo on Dynamite Kid to close the segment after telling what really happened between them versus what Dynamite kid wrote in his book.

I give this DVD a high recommendation. Both men are highly entertaining and have been involved in wrestling for a long time. This DVD also serves as an education for younger wrestlers on how to work a wrestling match and sell tickets. There are also variety of topics discussed in this DVD, which runs around two and a half hours. I can’t think of anything they didn’t discuss that they should have. Honky and Raven talk politics, steroids, Bam Bam Bigalow’s death, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Vince McMahon and WWE corporate policy, and much more, which is all hilarious and sometimes chilling to listen to.

QUOTEBOOK

Honky Tonk Man on the importance of having gear: “If you don’t invest in yourself, if you don’t invest in your business, what can you expect to get out of it?”

Raven on today’s crop of upcoming wrestlers: “So they do all the moves that Shawn (HBK) does, but they’re missing the star power, which to me that what makes him entertaining. It’s not the moves. I mean, the moves are great, but that’s all window dressing to me.”

Raven on the selling of cruiserweights: “They go from no selling to dying. There’s nothing in-between. There’s no registering.”

Honky Tonk Man on owing Mick Foley an apology: “I told the guy ten years ago you won’t be around in five years. I had to apologize to him. He’s still around.”

Honky Tonk Man on steroid abuse: “Ill tell you what, when those quads start tearing, when those musceles star tearing, it’s a sign of steroid abuse.”

Raven on talking to Bill Goldberg about selling in their match: “I had to work with him (Goldberg). He goes if someone hit me (in real life), I wouldn’t sell it.”

Honky Tonk Man on Bret Hart saying he wasn’t stiff enough in the ring: “Hey Bret, if you had to work a program with somebody for the next five year, who would you want to work with? Me, who never hurt you or Goldberg, who gave you a one kick to the fucking head and gave you a seizure. Now, you tell me.”

Honky Tonk Man on Rick Flair criticizing Brutus Beefcake’s relationship with Hulk Hogan: “Well listen, Arn Anderson wouldn’t have been dog shit if he wasn’t with you, Ric Flair. For Chirst sakes, he was so far up you, you couldn’t breathe.”

Honky Tonk Man on WWE’s demands on him to be in the WWE Hall of Fame: “If they were going to give me a contract to come in and be an advisor. If Mike Rotundo can be an agent and Barry Windham can come back and be on payroll. I mean, C’mon. At least let me sweep the ring out. If you want to take all my shit away from me give me something for it. Give me something. It would be interesting.”

Honky Tonk Man to Raven after he said he didn’t sleep with a 14 year old Becky Bayless. “You did work for Lawler! You did break into the Memphis territory.”

Honky Tonk Man on what Greg Valentine told him after he found religion: “Greg Valentine told me I’m doing this thing (religion). What do you do? Well I tried to stop lying and I quit double booking myself.”

Honky Tonk Man on is relationship with his wife: “I tell my wife I go out to do a bar show. She doesn’t ask me what kind of bar. She doesn’t know it was stripper gone wild, a dildo on a pole match, a lesbian shower scene. When I brought the money home she said, ‘How was the bar show?’ ‘Fantastic!’”

Raven on people being allowed backstage: “If you’re not one of the boys get the fuck out the backstage.”

You can purchase Face Off With Honky Tonk Man & Raven here

To watch a preview of this release click here

Email Sean Radican.


Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.

For more BREAKING NEWS on WWE, TNA!
VISIT OUR AFFILIATE - PROWRESTLING.NET


For UFC & MMA NEWS & BLOGS:
VISIT OUR SISTER SITE - MMATORCH.COM

Upgrade to PWTORCH VIP: DETAILS & SIGN-UP INFO


MORE "RADICAN'S TAKE" ARTICLES
RADICAN: A list of things wresters and TNA fans can support for Dixie Carter
RADICAN'S SHIMMER Vol. 23 Review - Busic-Melissa, Kong-Martinez, MsChif-Deeb
RADICAN: Daddy's little girl V 2.0 debuts on Impact
RADICAN: Wolfe-Angle follow up displays typical warning signs of danger from creative standpoint
RADICAN: TNA finally straps a rocket on the right ass
RADICAN'S TAKE: An answer to Bruce Mitchell's question about HIAC PPV
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW SERIES: 7/24 DBD VII: N1 - Hero & Richards vs. Storm & Steen
RADICAN'S CHIKARA DVD REVIEW: 5/24 "Anniversario Yang" - The Colony vs. F.I.S.T, 8-Man Tag
RADICAN: Richards vs. Danielson delivered epic MOTYC at ROH's "Final Countdown" tour stop in Boston
RADICAN: McGuinness and Danielson's departures mark the end of an era for ROH
RADICAN: Guest Booker with Jim Cornette delivers one of the best shoot releases of 2009
RADICAN'S WWE SUMMERSLAM PPV BLOG 8/23: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Orton vs. Cena, DX vs. Legacy
RADICAN SHORT: TNA gives tacit approval to the self-destruction of their champion
RADICAN: Richards & Edwards vs. Black & Danielson delivers a MOTYC at ROH's "Double Feature II"
RADICAN: A preview of what Dragon Gate USA is offering when the "Enter the Dragon" PPV airs
RADICAN: Raw is falling off a cliff and Ryder thinks it's funny!
RADICAN'S WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS PPV BLOG 7/26: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Orton vs. Hunter vs. Cena PPV
RADICAN: Torch readers sounds off on Mark Henry's shining moment on Raw (w/Radican Reax)
RADICAN: Mark Henry's shining moment on Raw leaves a bad smell in the room
RADICAN: A follow up on the Death Before Dishonor audio with Feinstein with notes on Special K angle, Punk-Raven feud, where's Misawa now?

(c) 1999-2009 TDH Communications Inc. - All rights reserved.

Current Top Ten Staff Picks
Staff Picks
TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: In-depth look at why Vince McMahon is marketing the WWE product as PG family-friendly
WWE News: TOP STORY - "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson working with WWE on a TV project beyond guest-hosting Raw
WWE News: Linda McMahon reveals the McMahon Family's vast wealth in Senate campaign filing
WWE News: Raw TV ratings are in - Did Raw rebound from the 2009 year-low?
WWE News: WWE announces guest hosts for the next four weeks of Raw, including two new names
Hogan News: Watch VIDEO of the Hulkamania Press Conference breaking down into a staged fight (w/VIDEO)
TNA News: SPOILERS - first two matches announced for TNA's December PPV
MOJO MITCHELL'S WWE RAW 11/16: Stream of Piper In The Back, Hornswoggle Stabbed in the Back, An MSG Look Back, Mr. McMahon Backs Out, Kofi Kingston Backs Randy Orton Up
CALDWELL'S WWE RAW REPORT 11/16: Complete coverage of Roddy Piper hosting, DX vs. Cena & Taker vs. Jericho & Show
TNA News: Kurt Angle suffers back injury at Sunday's Turning Point PPV


TORCH QUICK-CLICK REFERENCE LIST
-CLICK TO FOLLOW PWTORCH ON TWITTER!
-CLICK FOR OUR FREE PWTORCH IPHONE APP

-CLICK FOR OUR FREE PODCAST (#1 in iTunes!)
-CLICK TO GET INFO ON BECOMING A VIP MEMBER
-CLICK TO VISIT MMATORCH.COM
-CLICK TO VISIT PROWRESTLING.NET

-CLICK TO EMAIL PWTORCH EDITORS




PWTORCH READER POLL

SMACKDOWN POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/20 Smackdown if you saw the show?
The Undertaker
Kane
Chris Jericho
Big Show
Batista
Rey Mysterio
Matt Hardy
Tyson Kidd
John Morrison
Dolph Ziggler
C.M. Punk
R-Truth
Drew McIntyre
Finlay
Mickie James
Layla
Eric Escobar
Vince McMahon
Teddy Long
Vickie Guerrero
  

VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS

ARE YOU VIP? SIGN UP NOW FOR $7.50 A MONTH FOR INSTANT ACCESS TO AD-FREE, BENEFIT-PACKED VIP VERSION OF PWTORCH.COM (see screen capture)
PWTORCH VIP HOME PAGE

INFO ON SUBSCRIPTION TO AD-FREE VIP SITE

INCREDIBLE BENEFITS!
Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business...

SIGN ME UP NOW!

Compare the value of four or five months of PWTorch VIP content to the price of just one PPV. Can you cut 25 cents a day from your budget to make room for PWTorch VIP?

AND NEW FOR 2009!
Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?

SIGN ME UP NOW!


UPCOMING EVENTS LISTING

Articles Grouped by Category
Torch Today
WWE RAW 11/16: Place Your Bets on tonight's Raw - Week 12 featuring Roddy Piper
WWE RAW 11/2: "Place your Bets" Scoreboard after Week 11 - Review the previous scores before tonight's Raw PYB contest
TORCH MONTHLY AWARDS: List of the 2009 Torch Monthly Award winners through October
WWE News
WWE News: What's on Smackdown tonight - Taker & Kane vs. Big Show & Jericho
WWE News: Jim Ross comments on possible WrestleMania 26 return, current WWE contract status
TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: In-depth look at why Vince McMahon is marketing the WWE product as PG family-friendly
TNA News
TNA News: TNA Impact ratings break down - Inside the numbers on TNA's recent ratings trends
TNA News: Impact rating is in - how did post Turning Point episode fare?
TNA News: Details on Chris Sabin re-injuring his neck at this week's Impact tapings
ROH News
ROH News: ROH Title match signed for Final Battle; Air dates for McGuinness and Danielson's Farewell speeches
ROH News: Ring of Honor announces details on Austin Aries's next ROH Title defense
ROH News: Tonight is Bryan Danielson's final ROH match - details on tonight's special ROH TV episode (w/VIDEO)
Other News
PWG News: First round matches for tonight's Battle of Los Angeles tournament - Aries vs. Kendrick; Cabana, Shelley, Strong in action
Hogan News: Hulkamania Tour secures TV deal in Australia, Notes on Hogan & Flair arriving at the airport to begin the tour
Austin News: Steve Austin to appear in new season of NBC's "Chuck" show
PPV Reports
CALDWELL'S TNA TURNING POINT PPV REPORT 11/15: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniels
RADICAN'S DGUSA "Untouchable" PPV review - Doi vs. Danielson, Shingo vs. Richards
10/25 WWE Bragging Rights Results: KELLER'S detailed match-by-match PPV report - Cena vs. Orton Iron Man match
TV Reports
PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 11/20: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Jericho & Show vs. Undertaker & Kane
CALDWELL'S WWE SUPERSTARS TV REPORT 11/19: Complete coverage of Henry vs. Rhodes on WGN
PARKS' TNA IMPACT REPORT 11/19: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the post-Turning Point show
Arena Reports
11/14 TNA in Scranton, Pa.: Second Report - Styles vs. Joe vs. Daniels, Chris Sabin vs. Suicide, Amazing Red vs. Homicide
11/14 WWE in Dublin: The Undertaker very limited in the ring vs. C.M. Punk, Rey vs. Dolph, Very interesting John Morrison vs. Matt Hardy match, No Jericho
11/14 TNA in Scranton, Pa.: Home of "The Office" delivers Styles vs. Joe vs. Daniels and Amazing Red vs. Homicide PPV warm-up matches
MMA / UFC Coverage
MMA News: Update on Brock Lesnar's health - how long Lesnar had been dealing with health problems, expected return to UFC
MMA News: Brock Lesnar health update - UFC president much more optimistic than this weekend
MMA News: Brock Lesnar released from the hospital tonight; Lesnar's UFC future in doubt
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER BLOG: WrestleMania goes up to $55, all other PPVs $45 - let the pirate feed frenzy begin
KELLER BLOG: Dixie Carter asks wrestlers to step it up, but what does that mean? Shouldn't their goal to be winning matches and nothing else?
KELLER FLASHBACK: Review of Hulk Hogan's first autobiography - Hogan's political maneuvers evident in who he protects and buries
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL FLASHBACK (Dec. 1994): C.M. Punk's character is the latest Vince McMahon creation responding to criticism of his WWE product
MOJO MITCHELL'S WWE RAW 11/16: Stream of Piper In The Back, Hornswoggle Stabbed in the Back, An MSG Look Back, Mr. McMahon Backs Out, Kofi Kingston Backs Randy Orton Up
MOJO MITCHELL'S RAW 11/2: Stream of My Fourth Grade Hero and The Mid-Card Kicks Main Event Ass
MCNEILL'S TAKE
The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down: McNEILL previews TNA Turning Point 2009!
McNEILL BLOG: The Big Questions About Hulk Hogan in TNA
Fight For Your Right to Bragging: McNEILL Previews WWE Bragging Rights!
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL'S PPV/DVD REVIEW: Dragon Gate USA's "Open the Historic Gate" debut event - Review of whether following DGUSA is worth your time and money
CALDWELL'S TUESDAY CHAT w/GREG PARKS: Raw, Smackdown, TNA PPV discussion - MSG crowd, Survivor Series hype, Kofi breaks out, CSI:Miami vs. 30 Rock
CALDWELL'S BLOG: Hitting the hot topics - Raw tonight, Turning Point vs. Survivor Series, Jesse Ventura, Brock Lesnar, Shane McMahon
RADICAN'S TAKE
RADICAN: A list of things wresters and TNA fans can support for Dixie Carter
RADICAN'S SHIMMER Vol. 23 Review - Busic-Melissa, Kong-Martinez, MsChif-Deeb
RADICAN: Daddy's little girl V 2.0 debuts on Impact
The Specialists
11/19 WWE Superstars Hits & Misses: Rosa Mendes, Eric Escobar, Lackluster Show
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - TNA Impact 11/19: Forgotten history between A.J. and Angle, TNA's new cameras, Pope gets referee assist, Numbers - The Rock a horrible tag champ
HITS & MISSES - TNA IMPACT 11/12: Review of last week's show before tonight's Impact - Wolfe-Angle build-up, Lethal loses to Niedhart
Guest Editorials
GUEST EDITORIAL: Disgruntled TNA fan says he's done with the promotion after today's Impact taping (Contains SPOILERS)
GUEST EDITORIAL: The ultimate irony - Hulk Hogan appears on TNA Impact and pre-taped TV sitcom promoting WWE on the same night
GUEST BOOK REVIEW: Hulk Hogan provides strong defense of his public image in new autobiography
Torch Feedback
ECW TV Reax #1: "C.M. Punk scoring the pin in the main event made Smackdown seem more important than ECW"
WWE Raw Reax #3: "While WWE delivered an above-quality show, they still haven't given viewers a reason to order Survivor Series"
WWE Raw Reax #2: "This was NOT one of the best Raws of 2009, but one of the worst..."
Ask the Editor
Ask the Editor: Wouldn't incorporating MMA-style holds into pro wrestling matches just be trying to be something it's not?
ASK THE EDITOR: Have the Michaels-Batista promos crossed a line with use of insider terms, references to "jobs"?
ASK THE EDITOR: Why do wrestlers in WWE refer to wrestling as "the business" and not "the sport"?
DVDs - VGames - Books
CALDWELL'S PPV/DVD REVIEW: Dragon Gate USA's "Open the Historic Gate" debut event - Review of whether following DGUSA is worth your time and money
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW SERIES: Death Before Dishonor VII: N2 - Storm-Hero, Ryan-Cabana
RADICAN'S SHIMMER Vol. 23 Review - Busic-Melissa, Kong-Martinez, MsChif-Deeb
Torch Flashbacks
PARKS'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 1 YR. AGO (11-21-08): Final Survivor Series build-up to Undertaker vs. Big Show casket match, Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H, Morrison & Miz
KELLER'S WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT 10 YRS. AGO (11-14-99): Big Show vs. Triple H vs. The Rock, Edge & Christian & Hardys team, Chris Jericho vs. Chyna
KELLER'S WWF SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT 15 YRS. AGO (11-23-94): Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund, Undertaker vs. Yokozuna, Team Hall & Waltman vs. Team Michaels & Nash
VIP Exclusive Features
11/20 Wade Keller Hotline - Guest Bruce Mitchell: Survivor Series Match by Match Preview & Predictions (20 min.)
11/20 Bruce Mitchell Audio Show: Listener Questions - How Vince McMahon was perceived before he took over, Outlaw Promotions stories, Sting Flips off Bruce, Albano Craziness (45 min.)
PWTorch Newsletter #1117/1118 (31 pages!): Raw at MSG, TNA Victory Road PPV Roundtable, Mitchell on Russo-Hogan, Keller on Dixie Speech, more
Torch Trivia
TORCH TRIVIA 2/28: Which wrestler backed out of a WWA PPV in February 2002?
TORCH TRIVIA 2/27: Who said this quote about Hulk Hogan's athleticism 11 years ago?
TORCH TRIVIA 2/25: What said this quote about WWE's mid-1990s drug testing policy?
Torch Instant Polls
SMACKDOWN POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/20 Smackdown if you saw the show?
TNA IMPACT POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/19 Impact if you saw the show?
ECW MVP POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/17 ECW TV if you saw the show?
PWTorch Free Podcast
11/4 Nostalgia Audio with Brian Hoops: Format change to the show, new guest host, upcoming shows
FREE FOR ALL: 10/27 Bruce Mitchell Audio Special: Hogan-Bischoff-TNA story from all angles including Monday Night War II possibilities (32 min.)
6/23 Nostalgia Audio with Brian Hoops: Former WCW rapmaster PN News joins Brian Hoops to preview upcoming Midwest shows (10 min.)
Annual Obituaries
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 1999 - Muchnick, Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Renegade...
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2000 - Solie, Albright, Duncum, Tsuruta, Blue Demon, Al Costello
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2001: Johnny Valentine, Terry Gordy, Chris Adams, Bertha Faye, Helen Hart