Who is the most honest wrestler Bill Apter ever interviewed?
Filed to GERWECK.NET:
Recap of Bill Apter on In Your Head Wrestling Radio, 04/30/2019
by Vic Schiavone
Hosts Jack E. Jones and One Inch Biceps welcomed legendary pro wrestling journalist Bill Apter to IYH Wrestling Radio for a return appearance. Bill shared stories from his long career and discussed his upcoming induction into the 2019 Class of the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame this June.
Highlights included the following:
· His approach to reporting wrestling:
“I’ve always looked at anything I do I’m always positive about (it). A lot of people get on the Internet and right away (it’s) ‘Oh, so and so sucks…He can’t work.’ I look at this stuff, and people say why can’t I get credentials? Why can’t I get to meet these wrestlers? I say, well, look at what you’re writing! You’re taking their bread and butter and not only are you knocking it but you’re doing it in a way that’s not mature and professional. If you look at Broadway show reviews…a lot of the New York Times writers, the (Daily) News, even the New York Post, when they’re not kind to a play, they don’t give it ‘Oh, it sucked.’…They don’t do that. They do it in a classy manner. So, it’s OK to knock something you don’t like, but do it with class.”
· If you could pick one of your interviews as your favorite, what would it be?
“It would probably be almost any interview I did with Bruno Sammartino, because he was the most honest pro wrestler I ever met. And he always said to me he always appreciated the reporter who knew what they were talking about, the subject matter, and could handle it intelligently and have a real conversation with whoever the wrestler was. Yeah, it would have been Bruno. In terms of characters, it would’ve been Dusty Rhodes, because Dusty always gave me great interviews.
· Who do you consider to be the greatest of all time, and why?
“It goes by generations for me, the greatest of all time. It’s not one person. It’s Bruno (Sammartino), it’s Jack Brisco, it’s Dory Funk, Jr…it’s Mil Mascarus, everybody knows that growing up he was my favorite wrestler…and Lou Thesz of course…I always look at the one guy that I pick very often if I’m put on the spot and they say you have to give one guy I look at Jack Brisco because the series of matches that I photographed of him against Dory Funk, Jr. were classic.”
· His thoughts on the state of wrestling today:
“I think right now we’re in…the Era of Choice. It’s happening. You have WWE, you have Impact Wrestling, you have Ring of Honor, you’ve got New Japan, and now you have AEW coming on strong at this point. So, there’s a lot to choose from where there wasn’t but one or two products….and I’m very excited because once you get competition that really works hard it makes everybody else work harder. And I think that’s great for the business. It’s a cliché where a lot of people say that, but it’s true…I think there’s room for everybody because it’s a different style of wrestling than WWE. WWE will never lose the fans of their product; that’s the product for them. And then there are other types of fans who AEW will become that. And Ring of Honor has their fans and New Japan has their fans. Not every fan has to like everything that is pro wrestling or sports entertainment; you can pick and choose. That’s why I’m calling this the Era of Choice.”
Other topics discussed included:
· During his time at Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine, who got the most heat because of a story he did?
· Was there ever a time he hesitated to interview someone?
· Does he think AEW will be a threat to the WWE?
· What was the proudest moment of his career?
This interview is available for listening at
http://www.inyourheadonline.com/viewnews.php?autoid=37297
