Ken Resnick on the Iron Sheik Being a Difficult Interview, Jim Duggan’s Success, more

Former WWE and AWA broadcaster Ken Resnick hosts Wrestling with History on VOC Nation every Wednesday night at 930pm ET. On the latest episode, Ken and co host Bruce Wirt talked about the most patriotic wrestlers of all time. Ken discussed working with Jim Duggan, Ken Patera, and the unorthodox personalities of Bob Backlund and the Iron Sheik. Here are some highlights:

On why Jim Duggan was so successful for a long period of time: “I really, really liked working with Jim… We kind of developed an immediate rapport. He knew I had worked out of college with the justice department for about 3 and a half years, and his dad was actually the sheriff in Glen Falls, NY so we had a little law enforcement tie in… I was so thrilled I got to see Jim Duggan last year in Charlotte at (The Gathering). Jim is still active and still working, and boy you talk about a testament to longevity… It really wasn’t a gimmick, that (is) Jim Duggan. That’s a testament to his staying power.”

On Ken Patera going to prison: “I actually knew Ken Patera before I ever got into wrestling. He was married to a (lady I knew), and her son – Ken’s step son – played little league baseball that was coached by a friend of mine. So I used to sit with Ken at little league games. So I knew Ken before I worked with him in the AWA and WWF… He did what he did. Between the two, Mr. Saito really got a raw deal; he was just sound asleep and didn’t know what was going on. But (Ken Patera) never got the representation he should have gotten.”

On Bob Backlund being unorthodox: “I worked with Bob at a show up in Winnipeg, and I think he came in a couple of times when I was with WWF… I think at times he can be (unorthodox), that would be accurate. I guess in his defense, he’s taken a fair amount of chair shots to the head, so you might be able to explain it away.”

On working interviews with the Iron Sheik: “I had an understanding that almost always I would start with Nikolai and then go to the Iron Sheik. I had an understanding that if the Iron Sheik started going off (on a rant), Nikolai knew just because he had started that if Iron Sheik went off I was immediately going back to him so he was always in tune throughout the entire interview. Nikolai was great and in those interviews he also served as my safety net.”

Link to the episode here:

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/vocnation/episodes/2020-07-08T20_31_12-07_00

Wrestling with History featuring former WWE/AWA broadcaster Ken Resnick and former Philadelphia Radio personality Bruce Wirt airs every Wednesday at 930pm ET on VOC Nation.

VOC Nation provides daily, interactive talk radio, geared toward the professional wrestling community.
Other notable show hosts include former WWE/TNA star Shelly Martinez (Shelly LIVE – Tuesdays), former WCW performer The Maestro (WCW Retro – Thursdays), former TNA Impact talent Wes Brisco (Brisco and Big Ace), Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Brady Hicks, and more!

Since 2010, VOC Nation has brought listeners into the minds of the biggest stars in pro wrestling and entertainment. Subscribe to the podcasts for free, and visit vocnation.com for live programming.