Bill Eadie (Ax) on Verne Gagne being an unscrupulous promoter

[@gwboles659]

I like Bill. Great guy. Glad to see him still up and doing interviews.

[@JA_WILL]

10k per week back then was off the chain -- 10k in 2022 would be super good even with inflation.

[@msm1876]

Gee, I’m shocked that Stan Hansen eventually ran that belt over with his pickup truck…

[@boscopit]

Bill always seems like an honorable guy

[@duckduck168]

Of everyone i've heard in shoot interviews, Bill Eadie always reminds me most of my dad... No nonsense kind of guy that could smell bulls@#$ a mile away, and someone who'd also give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.

[@MohamedAli-xu3uw]

How was he with the mother?

[@brianm2881]

He's almost like a meatierJack Arnold from the Wonder Years.

[@mox19380]

love this. frank and honorable. gotta see some more bill eadie interviews

[@blackhaze21]

Thanks I was looking for this one

[@oldschoolfan420]

This is a funny story. Verne and his kickbacks. He tried it with Hogan and flair too but refused. I think Verne took a part of brad rheingans money for life.

[@danburnette7674]

I think he was getting $$$ as well from Jim Brunzell.

[@oldschoolfan420]

@@danburnette7674 yes he did until brunzell left for the wwf then it stopped.

[@EnforcerX71]

Verne honestly acted like a mob boss with crap like that.

[@amanrob]

Ax was making some serious cash in Japan. $10K/week in 1984 is the equivalent on $28.5K in 2022.

[@oldschoolfan420]

That is why Stan Hansen worked about 4 months a year. He made more money in the short time in Japan, than a full year in the U.S.

[@amanrob]

@@oldschoolfan420 Stan Hansen is probably the greatest gaijin wrestler ever in Japan. If ax was making $10k, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hansen was making way more than that.

[@oldschoolfan420]

@@amanrob as terry funk would put it... "That's why Stan is shitting through silk underwear, while the rest of us are still working for Joe the independent."

[@FerretJohn]

Of course they were still sub-contractors, travel costs and expenses were still on them, but yeah, still good money

[@terencej72]

Sub contractors though, Hotel and transport costs for them would be high. That being said a good Hotel room back in mid 80's would be $100 a night say $100 for food and transport plus $1,000 for a return flight, So if they went in for say 3 weeks they'd make $30k and take $22k home. Plus as you earned the money outside the US there would be no tax to pay... $22k for less than 1month work is a sweet deal, Masked Superstar said he made 3 trips to Japan a year for 3 weeks a time - $66k in the mid 80's which is about $180k in today's money, for 2 months work....

[@needsaride15126]

That's a great story. Glad to hear of someone telling Verne to shove it.

[@mikejejenich7116]

Masked superstar and ax. Of demolition. Good worker. 💯

[@theredwriggler]

This is hysterical. Try their schemes and it just backfires. Kickbacks… ‘what do you think of that?’

[@phoenixblack1220]

Bill Eadie is a legend!!

[@bonechip01]

People talk about Vince, but Verne gayt dang.

[@bigblackjeffery842]

Seriously?

[@bobchisholm7487]

I always feel that the other promoters resented Vince not because he was a scumbag (which I think he is), but that he was a more successful scumbag than they were.

[@dazzle1545]

The Question, who was the worst wrestler, turned promoter: Gagne or Watts Whatever you say about VKM he never cheated wrestlers on payoffs

[@PittsburghAfterDark]

VKM Sr and the Crocketts were the most sought after territories for very good reasons. The only other promoter in the country (He only had a city.) that paid extremely well was Paul Boesch. Seemingly every shoot from territory wrestlers will blast payouts from Eddie Graham, Bill Watts, Verne Gagne, Joe Blanchard from one run or another. Even Fritz Von Erich had major heat with Gary Hart over payoffs and Gary practically built and ran the Texas booking office before the curse hit.

[@davidlewis5312]

​@@PittsburghAfterDarkfritz might take the cake for low balling his own kids if Gary hart is to be believed

[@PittsburghAfterDark]

@@davidlewis5312 if you ever got to read his book it is the absolute best accounting I have ever read about the territories and how they ran in the 70's and 80's. Yes, he destroys Fritz over the financial control he exerted over his sons and the low payoffs he gave them compared to any other main eventer that came through Dallas.

[@tritchie6272]

I think every oldtime Wrestler that didn't become a Promoter hated pretty much every Promoter they ever worked for.

[@NightWarriorAlive]

Wow, that's shady as heck! Ax is a stand up guy.

[@battlestarmarc]

Masked superstar was great.

[@351clevelandmodifiedmotor4]

Zzzzz the delivery sounds like he's never had a joint in his life

[@Ted_Bell]

Shut it you reefer addict

[@ChineseSausage]

There is no need for him to put himself in Demolition Ax mode. He's done that already