Greg Valentine - Why Rhythm & Blues Tag Team w/ Honky Tonk Man Didn't Last in WWF

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine talks original plans for his tag team with Honky Tonk Man in WWF. What did Vince McMahon have in mind when he created Rhythm & Blues? Full shoot ➤ TitleMatchNetwork.com
Produced, licensed & distributed by Title Match Media LLC. Enjoy the full Greg "The Hammer" Valentine shoot interview on our streaming subscription service, TitleMatchNetwork.com.
Title Match Media LLC digitally remastered the original raw footage, including color correction and advanced audio editing specifically for this KZbin release.
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine began wrestling in the early 1970s and was already a major player in the WWF when the pro wrestling boom period started a decade later. By the late 1980s, Valentine had left the "Dream Team" with Brutus Beefcake and went back to being managed solo by Jimmy Hart. Hart was already managing the Honky Tonk Man so Vince McMahon decided to pair them together. Valentine credits Jesse Venture with helping in the gimmick as well.
According to Greg Valentine, Vince McMahon was going give the WWF tag team championships to Rhythm & Blues in a win over then-champions, the Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart). But when Vince signed the Road Warriors later that year, he scrapped the team of Valentine/Honky Tonk Man altogether.
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[@Filmation77]

BOXCAR!!!🤣

[@Dakatari]

Greg Valentine and Honky Tonk Man actually made a pretty decent tagteam.

[@FrankTeddy2011]

Greg was a great heel wrestler...believable move set, excellent figure four and superb in a tag team. R&B wasn’t a bad idea...I think HTM and Greg had gone far enough as singles, and Vince was giving them another life and another chance to make money. Good interview!

[@rickyjohnson4184]

Greg was a great baby face as well

[@bodhi8297]

Honky Tonk Man has serious heat, no talent huh? Not to mention his shoot videos proved there was a market for such interviews and the reason being is he calls it like he see’s it, he doesn’t hold back and is an entertaining story teller. As far as Greg goes I miss wrestlers like him. The men amongst men, the guys who demand respect. Mad respect to what Valentine accomplished and the amazing feuds and storylines he was apart of.

[@bodhi8297]

@BigFred 2294 looks like HTM still gets heat. You just proved my point

[@davidporter7051]

@@bodhi8297 yeah he has X-PAC heat.

[@Spooky_515]

Absolutely. I can’t remember anyone doing shoot interviews before HTM. The guy can shoot the 💩

[@ChannelZ3RO]

I'm happy to see Sunny doing better.

[@jonsprong1842]

Lmmfao!

[@adriansmith2182]

😂😂😂

[@TL2354]

I still laugh at Gorilla Monsoon calling him “Boxcar Willie”

[@TheRmm1976]

Hammer did a lot with what he had. No charisma and weird physique, but a good worker and the look of a classic heel.

[@kar5431]

He was more suited for the 60's and 70's.

[@andrewberenson5717]

I agree. He would not work in today's entertainment component of the wrestling industry. He could work well in the ring but promos would not be his forte.

[@greghughes6098]

Weird physique= not roided out of his mind

[@greghughes6098]

@@andrewberenson5717 You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. There's this thing called video, explore the possibilities.

[@photonicus]

Throughout his career what he lacked in promo charisma he made up for in sheer brutality. His figure four always a threat and he was no stranger to bleeding and making others bleed. His calmness was always misleading.

[@skullcollectorSKIN]

Had a few drinks and a couple doobs with the hammer. Fucking solid guy and a real wrestling legend

[@btrainbraydeboisseranc7570]

Met the Hammer at a show in elsinore! He was awesome to all of us and we smoked a cig with him and Snuka!😁

[@jasonervoes1326]

Greg The Hammer Valentine is a great wrestler. His dad Johnny Valentine was great too.God rest his soul.

[@necron99.aka-sammyboy92]

Greg Valentine! Still kickin ass n doing good today. My dad says hi if u ever check these videos= Wendell Ellis ( Robert Ellis ). From Seattle WA. Later Kelso WA. prob not reading this, lol, but Greg was the man back then. Has my upmost respect

[@mjolnircarlssen4211]

I always LOVED watching Greg Valentine. Great wrestler. There’s a reason that this man is a legend.

[@shinigami146]

Without ever seeing a shoot interview with Greg, you might assume he would be a typical grouch from that era complaining how he always got screwed. Nope! Greg is a straight shooter who knew his role and is thankful for his opportunities... Until he got to WCW and they wanted him to be a jobber. I don't blame him for that part.

[@tomdallas3690]

MIght be the greatest person alive. One of the healthiest personalities I have ever seen. Always errs on being positive.

[@BruceMusto]

1972, Canandaigua NY, freshman football practice is over and we are walking down the hallway of the high school to the locker room. There is a wrestling show in the gym that night. I'm not going but coming down the hallway in the opposite direction is the Hammer, although he was wrestling as one of the Fargo Brothers back then. They both said hello to us as we passed. I've always remembered seeing him there.

[@misterbeefy7006]

I love his take on Hitman, because he is dead on with it.

[@pledgestone]

Excellent interview.

[@robintaylor4249]

Greg is totally cool. I’ve always idolized him.

[@Aaron_Scissorhands]

Imo, anyone who disliked "Rhythm & Blues" as a tag team didn't really watch WWF back then. They may have been heels, but they were so fun to watch, especially when they got their asses beat, lol. Honky Tonk Man was such an amazing villain. He had such a big mouth and he knew exactly how to turn WWF fans against him, and he loved it! HTM is the best villain in WWE/WWF history after Andre The Giant and The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase. There have been some great heels over the years, but those 3 cannot be topped in my opinion. Not to mention that they were so good as Villains that HTM and MDM never once switched sides like most heels do at some point. An honorable mention I'd like to add here is Jake The Snake Roberts. As a villain his calm and quiet demeanor had seriously creepy vibes to it. Every time he did an interview, as a kid, I would be creeped out.

[@timsmith4631]

Honky tonk man Greg Valentine & Jimmy Hart was a great team. When I was a kid I just liked watching them. Yes there was Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Brutus Beefcake but I liked Rhythm & Blues & Million Dollar man w/ Virgil back then.

[@rdogg222]

Valentine's fued with Tito Santana was the highlight of his time in the WWF. Good worker with a nasty disposition. "The Hammer" is one of the greats.

[@evansiggson]

I think Vince bringing in Nasty Boys is what Valentine is remembering.

[@malcolmwasher2308]

They were a good tag team

[@darrenalexander2257]

Greg Valentine saying Bret's work was the same every week. Greg 'punch, kick' Valentine! Bloody hell mate have a word with yourself!

[@davidporter7051]

You really did not listen to what Valentine said. He did not believe Hart was the draw he was because of his wrestling style but Hart did great and Valentine is happy for him.

[@mrsain19]

they were fairly over. but the belts surely could have helped R n B. and during that time frame, there were so many hot tag teams that the belts could have made any of them.

[@14spokenwords]

Valentine was always over in the WWF ... even at Wrestlemania 7 the crowd popped when he came out. Hitman had a move set... Inverted Atomic Drop Side Leg Sweep Backbreaker Piledriver Elbow off the 2nd turnbuckle fake out 10 punch off the turnbuckle Sharpshooter getting all those off is like a 8 to 10 minute match = easy money

[@oldcountryboy]

Rhythm and blues I wish they could have done a little more But they had a lot of big teams back Then I mean you got the hammer and the greatest intercontinental champion in the history of the WWF The Is hunky tongue man Every Saturday morning we would watch wrestlingAnd then me and my brothers would wrestle in the living Room I am still front room wrestling Heavyweight champion of the world

[@nothingsixsixsix]

Hammer got screwed over which is a damn shame because, in my opinion, he definitely contributed to the success of the WWE during his run. Greg was a big deal during that time period.

[@juncruz6266]

im always like listen all thoses legends

[@PreApocalypseJitters]

Turning face, lost all momentum. Could’ve teamed with Bravo who had turned face in 1991, too, and beaten down the pushes of Nasty and Beverly. No, I understand Hammer and Bravo didn’t click....but Hammer getting jobbed out to Quake and IRS and Martel all year long: disrespectful. LOD was a Saturday morning cartoon version of the Road Warriors, a shit show.

[@Airsoftcleaner]

You could tell Hammer hated that whole Rhythm & Blues thing.

[@toddschneck80]

HTM put Elvis to shame!

[@ninjahawk6434]

I hated the honky tonk hookup ...I liked Greg V. Solo ....giving him a guitar and having black hair ...i didn't get it

[@kaufman4life]

They had teamed up as a semi regular tag team prior to Rythm and Blues in between their respective singles programs where both guys were just their standard selves managed by Hart.

[@KeithFroehlich07]

Once Hogan became Champion guys like Valentine were done at singles wrestlers in WWF until Hogan was gone. By the time Bret Hart became Champion Valentine was too old. Now had Bret become champion in 1980, 1982? Valentine would have been right with him as far as a top program goes because Greg could really work, respected the business, and was pretty much a badass on the mic with his straight shooting opinions without yelling and screaming. They used to say Superstar Billy Graham came along 10 years too early, by the time Bret Hart was champion that was 10 years too late for guys like Valentine who were around in the late-70s early '80s at their peak

[@johnny5805]

Greg in 2000 looks pretty much the same as Greg in his 2021 interviews !

[@sarnobat2000]

OMG I just realized this is what Dolph Ziggler will look like when he's older.

[@gregorykrug8034]

Bret always says that Ric Flair only wrestled one match and here Valentine says the same thing about Bret.

[@leonpennings7596]

Should have made him Greg "The Rapper" Valentine with a big golden chain and sunglasses. They could have made Rhythm and Blues transitional champs instead of the Nasty Boys.

[@JamesHKelly-re6cp]

They should have held the tag titles 3 times.hammer and honkytonk#1

[@hippiepeter]

It looked like Greg didn't take Rhythm & Blues gimmick seriously. I also love the way he puts down Brett but yet He never made it to the top like Bret did...

[@walker1984]

It was the time in which he was in his prime. Had he been around Bret's age, things may have been different. He did have an IC reign and Tag Title reign to his credit, but with Hogan, Macho Man, etc as the top guys you really couldn't break through during that era.

[@brackishnz]

Bret Harts work was the same every time - unlike Hogan?

[@ziggypop79]

Power & Glory also had their push nixed

[@neilsmith2009]

rythym blues were hilarious at least i thought so

[@jeremyslaney5644]

"Thank you very much, you're a beautiful audience"!

[@Rodshark75]

It was a stupid gimmick, they made Greg, an established wrestler in his own right, a lame imitation or a lame wrestler doing a lame Elvis impersonation. I could see someone like Jeff Jarrett or another up and comer who could incorporate music into his gimmick working, but with Valentine, he was the "Hammer" not the "Hammer Dulicmer".

[@quincee3376]

At 2:38 " it's just hair" meanwhile Jimmy Hart has had major hair implants done. You can see the plugs on Jimmy Hart's scalp.

[@coreynihart3883]

Just don’t see rhythm & blues getting the belts. The Rockers or LOD certainly but not rhythm & blues.

[@fordsrule35]

The Rockers? A pair of tumbling teeny boppers🤣

[@malcorub]

Maybe win them at a Saturday Nights Main Even going into like a Royal Rumble to get a baby-face team over at a paper view.

[@bobbylincoln7869]

boxcar willie

[@davidquinn2382]

Looks like he is taking a polygraph test.

[@johndunning5821]

He looks like mama from the goonies

[@wswan81]

I gotta admit...i didnt see much special about Brett Hart either, in the 80's or 90's. He worked ok..his matches were always the same old stuff and promos were Meh at best.

[@philliesfan1flyeaglesfly330]

Because it was the shits!!

[@deisel8535]

Yes the team had no great moves

[@AaronLesterMedia]

I love listening to legends like Greg speak for me when it comes to Bret Hart. It's like they take my thoughts and speak them. I'm not sorry to say this but Bret Hart was the luckiest SOB in pro wrestling history... Money wise. He had the blandest interviews and his matches never changed. When he made that comment about Flair wrestling the same match I wanted to laugh in his face. The man cries about being screwed. Yea he was screwed right into $20 million from WCW. He cries that Goldberg ended his career. His career died in Montreal at Survivor Series 97.... He's made alot of money being in the right place at the right time. Not for being the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. I still believe he was a better tag wrestler with The Anvil.

[@yeahnah7220]

$20million? You might want to correct that.

[@malcorub]

I remember Kevin Nash referred to him as the 300 thousand dollar champion, everyone else in the locker room wanted him to ask for more money so they could as well. .

[@davidquinn2382]

I thought Bobby the brain was the weasel...

[@OldFuddyDuddy69]

Yes, he said Jimmy was a weasel, not THE weasel.

[@bretlinden8248]

Maybe the gimmick got axed because it was horrible. It was clearly slapped together between two workers who had nothing else to do? It should have never been thought of in the first place, let alone attempted.

[@EatAPeach72]

You sound fun

[@j2times2006]

Probably because it was a ridiculous idea.

[@wopgod9690]

He’s just a chin

[@LuckyDT]

Next video; “Greg Valentine on why his face is so fat, and why he blames women for it.”

[@bigj6143]

Rhythm and Blues was stupid. It was only done to keep Honky Tonk going. Kudos to Greg for trying but it was a stupid gimmick for him who was always portrayed as a tough guy "The Hammer." Honky Tonk was not a tough guy. He wasn't even a good wrestler.

[@KeithFroehlich07]

It was funny when Jesse said Hammer looked like Roy Orbison. 😎

[@danielcundiff290]

Honky Tonk man had no talent. He just begged Hogan for favors.

[@ThunderFist1978]

Daniel Cundiff Someone told me they mentioned to Jerry Lawler that they had Honky Tonk Man and said Lawler said, “I’m sorry.” That’s one thing I tried to avoid doing - bringing up Honky Tonk Man when meeting Lawler and vice versa. I brought up Lawler when I met Bill Dundee, not knowing at the time that they didn’t get along anymore.

[@colonelreb1014]

Honky Tonk is a legend.

[@Rodshark75]

@@colonelreb1014 Yes, but not for any good reason. He had a memorable gimmick and a lot of heat because everyone hated him. Good work as a heel, but honestly, he was mid-card talent at best.

[@yeahnah7220]

@@Rodshark75 I've never seen anyone describe HTM as one of the top 3 or 4. A 'good' reason is totally subjective. Warrior will be remembered as a legend but not for his actual technical wrestling talent, rather for everything else he brought to the character. To some that's not a 'good' reason but it truly doesn't matter. Just like HTM man can be considered a legend due to everything you've listed. There's no denying the fact that more often than not, if someone is asked to recall the talent from that 87-92 era, HTM name will be on that list.