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I carried it to extremes, I wouldn’t sign autographs, I wouldn’t allow merchandise to be put out with my name on it, and I would not allow press at appearances I did for charity. I didn’t want anyone thinking I was a good guy. I got this by breaking in the way I did where we lived the gimmick, nowadays that has changed-but if I saw a group of “smart” fans at the airport I would do what I could to make them hate me, most the time I just ignored them and wouldn’t even answer questions. I knew these guys would be at the arena and I didn’t want someone there at the arena that thought deep down I was a good guy.
Is this extreme? Yes, but the gimmick I copied-JR Ewing-used to wear a Cowboy hat everywhere during the filming of Dallas to keep up the image.
This has all changed-it is now a corporate sterile environment. And, I would argue that with an emphasis on health and wellness that things have gotten much, much better than the Wild West days I started in.
I can remember a day at a house show where as soon as I picked up the microphone a group of smart fans started chanting “Boo-oo-o-ring” and I hadn’t even said a word yet. So I waited and tried to start again, same thing-“Boo-o-ooring!” chant. So I called for a chair.
I sat in the middle of the ring, and sat, and just kept sitting there. Nothing. I said nothing and did nothing, just sat there. Tony Chimel, the ring announcer asked me, “Are you going to do anything?” I said “no”. It seemed like an eternity-I just sat there, they chanted and then started getting quite and then finally they quit. The crowd got restless-here is the main event and the big heel is just sitting in the ring for minutes doing nothing.
Chimel told me, “I’m begging you to do something”. I just looked at him and said nothing.
