Honky Tonk Man - Why I Refused to Lose Clean to Randy Savage

[@TitleMatchWrestling]

Shout out to the legendary Honky Tonk Man🔥 Watch Every HTM Interview Instantly ➡titlematchnetwork.com/wrestling-shoot-interviews-results/

[@truthBtold1212]

Probably the biggest joke who couldn't live without his gimmick or his belt. Nobody respects honky tonk Man in or out of the ring

[@truthBtold1212]

I've never heard someone cry or have excuses for every. Also the amount of lies he tells Everytime. And different ones depending who he's talking too 🤣 stop giving this bum a platform

[@corrosivecabal]

@TitleMatchWrestling Honky Tonk Man, the ego of hogan with the talent of Brutus Beefcake. Actually, that's a bit insulting to Brutus.

[@weswashburn4321]

“That doesn’t work for me brother” - Honkey Tonk man

[@user-kf3bb7ld7n]

Every wrestler has their own ideas about how invincible they should be. This is the actual problem with giving Hogan control. After that everyone wanted to say "no".

[@drumitar]

imagine trying to book Hogan vs Honkey Tonk Man

[@CharlesCarter-f9j]

Lmao right

[@danielvrodriguez81]

They all do it. Not just Hogan

[@user-kf3bb7ld7n]

@danielvrodriguez81 It wasn't what it turned into. Brett Hart didn't help matters.

[@ronaldnelson6692]

Love him or hate him, Honky Tonk Man was always a great entertainer.

[@marcinpuszczao9418]

Never even came up in wrestling conversations, I can’t recall any one conversation going back to 86

[@JpWhereIsMyShoe]

Never once had anyone said you know who the real deal was? Honky tonk man. Now that was a wrestler.

[@Natsoc1488]

​@@JpWhereIsMyShoeFACT! 😂

[@iotaeta-pi2770]

The only good thing about the Honky Tonk Man was that squash match with The Ultimate Warrior. He didn't have heel heat, he had "why tf is this guy on my screen" heat.

[@kevinyoung9557]

Absolutely .

[@ragnarlothbrook4652]

“There was no problem……the problem was” 😂

[@ModernDayRenaissanceMan]

Remember that honky tonk man only got the IC belt because Hulk Hogan told them to put it on him. He worked with Jimmy Hart because Jimmy Hart and Hulk Hogan were good friends. Honky Tonk Man wouldn't have had that spot without Hogan. Not doing the job for Macho Man only helped Macho Man because he skipped the IC title and went to the world title scene. Fair or not It worked out for everybody except him. But at the end of the day he did get kind of a raw deal. And the fact that he got buried to the warrior who himself couldn't carry the business is kind of sad because while at the time it was one of the most memorable moments ever that moment really didn't last or pay off in the long run.

[@hakonsoreide]

Yes, Warrior had potential so that was a shame. If it had just been about his character and the storyline, it would have worked out fine, but his personality definitely didn't suit wrestling. He simply wasn't a team player, and wrestling only really works when everyone works together as best they can to create a memorable experience of atheleticism and showmanship. Bret Hart often uses the word "dancing" to describe what wrestlers do in the ring, but you can't dance well without good partnering skills. And in the case of Warrior, his basic wrestling skills weren't particularly good either once you looked beyond the bursts of energy and wildness of his performances.

[@leonardoyi3183]

i think you are a little unfair to warrior...warrior did carry the belt for almost a year, and beat the goat, hulk hogan cleanly. Even if warrior didn't reach the expectations of filling hogan's shoes, warrior is still a way bigger icon than HTM ever was....

[@towmater7081]

Like him or not Honkey Tonk Man was a great heel . He earned his right not to be buried. You don't have to be buried to lose .

[@MikePScott624]

Thats true he was a hell of a mid card heel and could draw heat for sure.

[@craventiger]

100% agreed. The dude is one of the real ones.

[@keithhanisek2465]

Like him or not? Are you touched? Honkey is a legend. He drew nuclear heat!

[@MrMGR1986]

Yeah thats crazy. They treated him like a job guy.

[@MarquisLeary34]

@@MrMGR1986 Job guys don't get to hold the IC belt at that time for as long as he did.

[@JohnMorris-c5v]

The ONLY reason I clicked on this video is so I could change the channel on Honky Tonk Man...just like I used to when he was wrestling.

[@mringram]

Crucial

[@bobdonda]

Great story, Honky outsmarted Vince and not a lot of people can say that. He turned his 4 month IC title reign into a 15 month reign.

[@joemares5033]

Considering that he was later repackaged as "rhythm and blues" with Valentine, he was right to be wary of him being "built back up".

[@ModernDayRenaissanceMan]

That didn't hurt honky tonk man That was already his gimmick pretty much. That really screwed with Valentine. Valentine was a serious wrestler who wants tagged with Ric Flair. That was his gimmick. Basically being a Ric Flair clone. Being put with honky tonk man absolutely destroyed his credibility.

[@_Lux_Ex_Tenebris]

Honky Tonk Man came and headlined a USO show for us at Ramstein AB Germany in I think 1994... That man had the crowd in his hands. Nice as could be, afterwards talked to every last one of us as long as we wanted to. If I remember right, he was there, Wendi Richter, Nikolai Volkoff and a few others.. HTM and Nikolai were gracious as hell to be there with us. Fun day.

[@robertbloom4424]

The problem with and for Wayne in this situation is that "Macho Man" and "Million Dollar Man" are main even gimmicks while "Honky Tonk Man" is a midcard gimmick. Wayne was good enough in the ring and on the mic to be a main eventer for sure. He was definitely better in the ring and on the mic than Ultimate Warrior (for example). Did he have the "it factor" to have a lengthy main event run? We'll never know. Can't blame him for not wanting to risk being repackaged. The writing team had a lot more "misses" than "hits" and cost guys entire careers. We remember the hits, but the writers missed a lot more often. That said, Wayne was happy to be a solid midcard guy and he stuck it out longer than most.

[@dantecarroll2435]

right

[@dantecarroll2435]

he was ok i never thought he was a great wrestler and he certainly wasn't the greatest ic champion of all time but at least he had charisma

[@CharlesCarter-f9j]

He was great on the mic, not so much in the ring

[@danielvrodriguez81]

At that time, Macho was also a mid card wrestler.

[@dantecarroll2435]

@ right

[@stevendrumm4957]

The Main Event match on February 5, 1988 between the Honky Tonk Man and Randy Savage did not end in a double countout. It ended in Randy Savage winning the match by a countout but the Honky Tonk Man retaining the Intercontinental title.

[@Chayliss]

The mega power origin angle??? Pay up

[@danielvrodriguez81]

@stevendrumm4957 yes. He had trouble remembering. He was not sure

[@bretlinden8248]

They're talking about the SNME the previous October

[@Paulanthny]

He brained Randy with the guitar.

[@clark82]

I have always suspected that HTM version of the story is from the Oct 87 SNME match, but he talks like it’s the 88 Main Event Match. Bruce on his podcast has said that weeks before Survivor Series 87 they were told that Hogan was off the road after WM4 to film a movie and to plan to get the belt off him at the Main Event, and have him involved in WM4, but not walking away with the title. By Main Event the Mega Powers story is firmly in development and having the IC belt on him in 1988 makes zero sense (it makes slightly more sense in 87 simply to solidify his face turn, but you have to take the belt off him down the road which kills momentum). I think plans were to put belt on savage in late 87, but then Vince got excited for NHB, and hogan being off the road gave HTM another 8-9 months as IC champ, as at that time Warrior came right along and that was Vince’s next big project

[@kraig7777]

Jim Barnett impersonation is awesome lol

[@CinemaMack]

My boy, my boy.

[@MrJrockzus]

Stu Hart is my fav 😂

[@raulo19999]

For people that weren't around or don't remember, this was gonna be on free tv. Nearly 16M people watched that show live in their homes on a Saturday night in October. That is 4x the record for twitch and nearly double for KZbin livestreams that you can watch anywhere you have service. It was a huge deal to lose clean with no comeback in front of an audience that size. Couple that with a "repackage"... vince wanted gimmicks that he could own, trademark, and control. Until that point, they didn't work very well and they rarely did after. Had he gone through with it, the new gimmick likely would have failed and it would have been impossible to comeback as HTM.

[@keijikicksass]

I wonder what the convo was like when it came to Summerslam 88 and Vince was like "Warrior is squashing you in a minute" lmao.

[@tyrooneyfromdababooney7585]

Wow that was a great interview That's a classic. It shows you the shenanigans behind the scenes. Honky tonk Man held his own. 🤔😁😃👍

[@scribe570]

I wonder how fast wrestlers lose their innocence and all the reasons they wanted to get into the business, being fans themselves, turns to this politics and games-playing 24-7? It reminds me of radio DJs. All the romance of "being on the radio" that drives new people getting into the business soon loses its novelty, and what is left is morning and weekend shifts, jealous coworkers, can't break format, you don't get to pick the play list, etc. etc. (See movie Private Parts.) Honky Tonk sounds like he was enjoying himself until he got to this crossroads of whose interests were being served by just having a handshake deal. Jesse Ventura proved the last thing you want is to not have your agreement on paper.

[@UnpluggedIndividualYT]

HTM makes up 82% of all shoot interviews

[@Jim-Tuner]

All his "shoot interviews" are worked. Always have been.

[@coronaweeks4577]

Exactly…like McMahon would care one way or another what HTM felt if he was asked to drop it lol

[@josephorzolek2623]

@@coronaweeks4577 Agreed! Thank you for saying that! If HTM told Vince he didn't want to drop the belt, Vince would have dropped HTM from the roster. Good to see critical thinking.

[@HypePerformanceGroup]

The old timers have a lot of bad things you can say about them, but hearing $7K was a good payday when today’s guys can make $1M off a Saudi match is why you have to respect the old timers and give them a little grace

[@Andy_3739-r1i]

You can't argue with honky-tonk man's thinking. He was a great champion! He drew a lot of money! To throw him on the trash heap was bullshit!

[@MarquisLeary34]

Losing to Randy Savage is being thrown on the trash heap?

[@hakonsoreide]

I was wondering back in the day why HTM had the belt for so long, and the matches were sometimes a bit unfulfilling to watch the way they often ended. But in a bizarre way it made the run more iconic and interesting that it stood out for different reasons than you'd expect. I think how it changed Ted DiBiase's story arc still made for something far more interesting than your usual title exchanges, so whatever the case was, I think HTM's decision to stand up for himself at that pivotal moment created a lot of interesting storylines that Vince otherwise might not have conceived of.

[@daveschannel747]

10:00 Handshake deals? Wayne...... You should have known better! Never trust a McMahon! NEVER

[@MrMontythemouse]

The BEST chickenshit heel of all time, my god, he got me and my friends mad as hell when he wriggled out of defeat time after time.

[@scribe570]

And also got away with a guitar hit.

[@yoreverend]

See, that was exactly it. You would run to the TV hoping to watch him lose... and over and over he'd get out of it!

[@lcceo22]

Lmao not even close to the best at anything😂. Jesus christ with this sort of romanticizing of mediocre talent hust because it was back in muh daye, it’s no wonder these guys have such overinflated egos.

[@MrMontythemouse]

@lcceo22 You know nothing, discredit yourself by grammer alone.

[@lcceo22]

@@MrMontythemouse I love it. You don’t understand that you were being mocked👏

[@AnEternalEnigma]

Honky Tonk Man was one of the first old schoolers to embrace the Internet and destroy kayfabe. His website and message boards back in 2000-2001 were WILD lmao

[@bsnhbksan]

fk, I remember this, so many years have passed I thought I had just imagined it all lool

[@ModernDayRenaissanceMan]

The ultimate Warrior was another one. I remember being on his website around 2000 and him outing Hulk Hogan for being a wife swapper. Which is odd because that's exactly what he got filmed for doing! That's when I realized that maybe the ultimate Warrior wasn't exactly crazy. Edit: And then when you factor how close Hogan and Vince was back in the day and you hear about him sharing women with Johnny Ace That goes with all of their personalities. I think Warrior knew a lot more than people realized and was disgusted by the behavior. Which only adds to the credibility of the current lawsuit that you hear.

[@CNotez-uo8kp]

I missed that, but I wish I didn't

[@mrpelon1000]

legend people absolute legend...

[@JesseKerson]

Honky dropping it to Warrior and the Mega Powers all coming from this, can't imagine those two years going better.

[@johnj.2486]

I always thought this guy was one of the better wrestlers during that era. He's a very good actor, has a strong talent for comedy. Always made me smile

[@jeffdeiderich2901]

I wasn't a fan of Honky, but I don't blame him for not taking that total disrespect. He was IC Champion for a long time.

[@HULK-HOGAN1]

It takes balls and self-respect to stand up for what's right. Never tread on the good employees. If it doesn't bite you in this world, it'll tear you to shreds in the next

[@hfield07]

This cant be Hogan, he never would defend workers rights

[@jackspickphone6656]

This is a good interview. I always liked honky tonk man.

[@remmy1219]

He would absolutely not be hurt by losing clean to Randy. Randy was a main eventer- can’t say the same for Honky Tonk.

[@vulgar5595]

He has a valid point, it was never about putting Randy over, it was about getting a future from it

[@GoldFinger34]

He indeed would’ve been hurt. HTM would have drifted into relative obscurity a lot earlier than he did had he dropped that belt. He remembered what life was like for him as a wrestler before holding that belt. All that said, I wanted to state that HTM was a bit delusional about his prominence in the WWF, but I’ve now changed my opinion. I think he knew exactly how small a draw he really was and how little fans thought of him as opposed to other stars of that time, which is why he clung on to that belt for dear life.

[@livewithsin]

The difference between the 2 is Randy Savage wasn't a flash in the pan heel who just fell down the card after losing the IC title.

[@manifoldnook1]

He was fun to hate as a cocky guitar smashing bad guy. It was a great gimmick.

[@boydlewis-j7k]

I remember going up from 4 yrs old watching you guys every week, you guys are awsome! Ty, Honky Tonk Man & ?

[@stevenbean9706]

his inability to cooperate was his final nail in the coffin

[@liquidamerican8543]

Losing clean to Macho then getting repackaged actually sounds like a pretty good idea. I know he was a very over heel but pretending like people were buying tickets because of him is just ridiculous.

[@xspindrift8737]

Honky Tonk Man has 99 problems, but can always come up with a few more.

[@staypuftmarshmallowgamer8790]

Shake rattle and roll GOAT

[@mindblownwatcher8536]

Great interview

[@rog1046]

Wayne if you are reading these, just want to let you know I hated u so much I loved watching u. Isn't that what it's all about at the end of the day. U were the best heel for me at that time. Glad to see you are still around and healthly....

[@StewartJsR]

Yeah something just seems really legit about Tonk - I like him and I believe him.

[@kalvinravn8431]

I think it was called Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine…That’s where me and my brother in the mid to late 1980’s got are information and figured out how wrestling basically Really was….We started big WWF fans in like 1983 but as we were Informed we started liking the AWA and NWA.

[@FaithOverFear79]

Most underrated heel of all time.

[@EGarrett01]

The Honky Tonk Man was my first memory of pro wrestling. Watching him do an interview and not knowing who he was, what the belt was, why his hair was like that, or anything.

[@CNotez-uo8kp]

He got the hair till the end

[@Trumpisgod]

He’s such a mark for himself 😂😂😂

[@PitfallHarry72]

Mack Man instead of McMahon. 🤣🤣🤣

[@MMB18abel]

In my hometown, when Honky Tonk Man was coming down the aisle, a fan threw a cup of beer at him and he looked at the guy and laughed. Wayne sold the heel angle very well.

[@Journey-of-1000-Miles]

I always liked the Honky-Tonk Man, because he spent time in the Stampede Territory.

[@darylmixan8170]

No jobs on TV? Honky had the character where a clean loss absolutely DOES NOT LOOK bad on him... Every fan knows his opponents can kick his ass... He drew and got heat because he was a slimy cheater... He was an arrogant heel with a bad body that fans loved to see get his ass beat... It only made it better and got him more heat next match when he cheated and won... because every kid knew who the better fighter/wrestler was.

[@markeastridge9649]

Added to my wish list: 1988 WWF Superstars Playing Cards. Standard deck with jokers. 11 wrestlers and 3 managers. Honkytonk Man is one of them. Artwork is classic.

[@grandduke2145]

That deal was more than fair.

[@AceGoodheart]

It's easy to judge these guys from our couch, but if we were in their shoes how would we handle things? Honky was making his best money as I.C. champion. You take that away from him and his income decreases. So yeah, I can understand why they're so protective of their title reign. After, Honky's title reign he kinda lost all momentum. Honky played a great heel and was imo a good I.C. champion because of it. Sadly, that gimmick ran it's course and he was getting older in years. A very memorable character in the WWF though.

[@alwaysamysteryyes2021]

He should be happy to be in the ring with Tito.

[@watermunteconomie3938]

Honky was and is one of the best "bad" guys who like to sing along with.

[@RyuDaBurninator]

He does bring up some good arguments. He earned his spot and they were gonna brush him aside. Doing the job wasn't the issue, ruining his character was.

[@Taylormademan900]

But he lost to the ultimate warrior on pay per view in 10 seconds 😂

[@Jim-Tuner]

That was the payback for getting away with not losing to savage. The events are not unrealated.

[@stevenjames3242]

Ppv is not TV. Back then it mattered. There were other feds to go too. Not everyone will watch PPV. When he lost to warrior he was on his way out as well.

[@bobc2043]

Warrior wasn’t announced so he had an out.

[@geneares5063]

And got paid lovely. Smart man.

[@Jim-Tuner]

HTM says alot of different things to justify his doing a clean short job in the middle of the ring for warrior. Many of them may or may not be true. What is true is that until a week before the PPV, the official plan was for Beefcake to win the IC title at the PPV. Then it was suddenly changed to warrior getting the belt. And the loss effectively pushed HTM down into a repackaged mid-card tag team attraction the next year.

[@MMB18abel]

As a heel, Randy liked to win dirty as well, Wayne was basically playing HIS game.

[@jokelanddotcom]

He was in denial that his gimmick ran its course

[@zombiegoatt4282]

He was protecting his character in a day where old school heels didn't do jobs on TV. Keep in mind when they say TV they aren't talking about PPV's but the equivalent to Raw and Smackdown. Jesse Ventura was like this as well no jobs on TV.

[@dantecarroll2435]

his ego is just as big as jerry lawler's

[@BusinessOfFear]

Lawler had every right. He was the biggest draw in Memphis for decades

[@DanlowMusic]

Yeah both are super overrated and undeserving of the pushes they got.

[@DanlowMusic]

Not they they are terrible but they weren't top talent.

[@Spooky_515]

Are you serious? You grew up watching Cm punk and dolph ziggle didn’t you? lol

[@Jason-ft9oy]

They're cousins

[@marcinpuszczao9418]

I’ve only been watching wrestling since like ‘85/‘86 so my experience is limited, but I can tell you 💯 NOBODY was talking about Honky Tonk Man on the school bus, ever. Never in any wrestling conversations did anyone say “did you see what Honky Tonk Man did” 🤷‍♂️

[@kmaru80]

Agreed. But he was a solid presence.

[@yoreverend]

@@marcinpuszczao9418 Well, you're not wrong. He didnt have any actual appeal and didn't necessarily need to. During his IC title run, his role was to infuriate fans by somehow managing not to lose the title against the fan favorites who "should" have been able to beat him... akin to Mr Perfects first year, or Flairs NWA title days. The dastardly villains who should have lost but didnt. Unfortunately, once he lost the strap, they never really found a niche for him again and that was that.

[@daves2822]

Ted DiBiase had a better deal as the million dollar champ..

[@vulgar5595]

Ring Master came from that, what came from the Ring Master changed everything....And that's the bottom line

[@ValleyProud916]

Over the years I've watched alot of these interview videos. Honky Tonk Man and King Kong Bundy are the only ones who seem honest and sincere.

[@frizzyred1292]

I agree, HTM was the original king of the shoot, he was one of the originals that made it popular because his were always great. I love Bundys Kayfabe commentaries one as well. Well worth buying if you can find those shoots never know when they come down from YT.

[@LanceUppercut78]

If this is true than why would he agree to get squashed by Warrior in a 100 times more embarrassing loss?

[@jonathananderson5529]

Perhaps they had plans for him that time. Or paid more. Also we’d was bigger by then.

[@berranari1]

That is a good question. I am going to guess that they made him a deal. He wasn't going to be IC champ forever and he must have been given a bonus. But yeah that's a good thing to point out. It's history now. That's a great thing about wrestling that we wonder about that stuff.

[@jonathananderson5529]

@@berranari1 lol auto correct. We’d was means to be w w f.

[@dary0097]

People saying He's mad About losing to Savage He's not Mad About losing to Savage he's mad cause they treated him like he didn't matter in the meeting and They were gonna Repackage him

[@maevethefox5912]

And let's be real, the HTM package was his bread and butter. He was great at generating heat on the mic, and working with Jimmy to win dirty. He was never a guy who was going to generate a run based on looks or in ring talent. They repackage him he'd have ended up as either Isaac Yankem style villain of the week, or some kind of gimmick jobber like Brooklyn Brawler and he knew it.

[@scribe570]

@@maevethefox5912 Do you think like Mike Rotundo, the repackaging would have meant a completely new look -- drop all the Elvis stuff, change hair completely, dye it, short, etc. to become a new unrecognizable heel? What a mistake to lose all that investment. Even if the HTM was getting old, you could repurpose that idea . . . a tag team of Elvises who turn on each other, feud with Jimmy Hart, or something.

[@Bellthorian]

I was a senior in high school and than in the military when The Honky Tonk Man was at his peek in the WWF. Honestly he was an afterthought, all those places selling out, I bet Hogan was on the card...HTM was certainly not headlining any cards.

[@solecreator4844]

You know the outcome of all of this, the tournament at Wrestle Mania IV, prior to that : the drama at Saturday Night Main Event where you have Andre winning the belt, due to a twin referee mixup, Ted Dibiasi getting his Million Dollar Belt later on that year... And all what comes after... You wouldn't wanted to have it any other way. The Mega Powers and the explosion of it afterwards... Come on...

[@Bermondseybob]

"Some guy called Wayne is on the phone. He don't half sound like The Honky Tonk Man..."

[@davidreeves4556]

I’m with Honky on all of this.

[@victorc524]

Didn't he do something similar to WCW by not wanting to lose to sting or something , Hence why he got fired by bischoff in WCW

[@battlestarmarc]

Honky Tonk was a great heel. His Elvis gimmick was cool. Great IC champ. Savage Honky feud was fabulous.

[@ZOMBIE_STOMP]

“MACMAHON”

[@fantasybouthour6679]

Honky Tonk Man and Robert Patrick could be brothers.

[@corrosivecabal]

"This was sellout business, honkytonk against Jake the snake, honkytonk against Ricky steamboat, honkytonk against Randy Savage." Honkytonk and 3 guys that could sell out arenas back then in matches against a mop, and honkytonk thinks he's the draw as the mop. 😂

[@albertotorres_1]

Jeeze talk about Alternative Universe. The Casino venue at WM4 would have been perfect for DiBiase to win it even if it was short lived. I think the outcome as it came to be was better but crazy to hear these stories and the what could have been.

[@biggtrejo]

One of the greatest rivalries ever !!!

[@PhilD22]

This man has lived his gimmick.

[@CNotez-uo8kp]

You gotta respect that

[@SquawkMonk]

I get a strong feeling that Honky is the perfect example of "believe about 10% of what a wrester tells you."

[@nothingtoseehear5012]

The Honky Tonk Man is such an anomaly. This 'gimmick' is basically a mid-card jobber that could also be a champion (IC at most). Now is that due to the gimmick or to the skill and charisma and talent of Roy 'Wayne' Farris? I think it is a bit of both. BUT, how far did Wayne think a mid-card Elvis impersonator gimmick was going to go into the 1990s? He needed to be repackaged. As what, I do not know, but wrestling Elvis didn't have much left to give to the business. I do however think he might have gotten 2 or 3 more great years with a career ending epic run (for Honky Tonk Man until Wayne could rebrand), if it was written for the character. And I do understand Wayne's bitterness. Here he is on top, doing his best with the gimmick he's got, and they just toss him to the side like he didn't put in his time or paid his dues, like the Honky Tonk man didn't help build up everyone around him. Yeah, that's gotta hurt.

[@bobdonda]

TIL Honky was in WCW in 1994, having an undefeated streak on TV (losing at house shows though) until Bischoff fired him. I think he could have contributed to the Attitude Era if they gave him a chance to modernize his gimmick, and transitioned into a manager role. But there was so much talent on the roster they just didn't need him.

[@cjp1599]

Honkey Tonk was the master of turning heels to baby faces

[@reynaldoreyes9927]

10:16 1/21/1988-Vince McMahon contact The Honky Tonk Man ( IC Champion ) over the phone in a Winnipeg Hotel same day 1/21/1988 ( WWF) Winnipeg Manitoba Canada: Winnipeg Arena Honky Tonk Man refuses to drop IC Title to Macho Man Randy Savage on WWF :The MainEvent live Friday 2/5/1988 in Indianapolis, Indiana show. Honky Tonk Man drop IC Title to Ultimate Warrior at 8/29/1988 WWF SummerSlam PPV in 27 seconds.

[@prufrock1977]

Great interview!

[@joselozada24]

Honky was a midcarder, Randy was a Maineventer

[@gregthornton5694]

Honky was a red hot heel at the time. Let's be honest, all of this worked out for the better anyways. They were able to build Honky into the longest Reigning IC chanpion ever and when he did lose the belt to Warrior it was a huge thing. Savage ended up going on one of the best storylines and builds of all time with the Mega Powers, more than a year build to wrestlemania V. The reality is, if Vince wanted the belt off Honky at that moment. He would have made it happen. I dont doubt Honkys story but I have a feeling that McMahon was not completely opposed to keeping the belt on Honky and going this route with Savage.

[@GoldFinger34]

I believe “Mac Man” came around to the idea when he received the word that HTM was on his way to the WCW with that belt. If that is indeed how it went down. The edited and updated storyline worked out better, but I doubt that Vince was thrilled with having to capitulate.

[@Raydensheraj]

Loved the Honky tonk Man.... phenomenal heel.

[@royaumeuni5730]

Great speech.

[@albertotorres_1]

Why were the heels the most common sense and down to earth people outside the ring. Crazy.

[@ChrisStoecker]

So less than 2 months before Mania IV Vince wanted to put the IC strap on Savage, then have him win a tournament to become the WWF champion so they would have to turn around and have a tournament for the IC title that Savage would then have to vacate...that would've been awfully stupid. Strap the rocket to the guy, that's fine but I don't see the logic in bringing the IC title into the equation. Apparently Vince liked the idea of having the reigning IC champ win the WWF title since he had Warrior do it a few years later but a tournament to crown a new world champion followed up by a tournament to crown a new IC champ would've silly and redundant

[@FunGalFaction]

I love the guy but there is the possibility that it could have turned out better if he stayed. He could have a face turn then later went back to the best heel in the business. So many times wrestlers had changes and the perception of your own fame is not the best thing to take into a negotiation. It is a selling factor, but the business at that time was the investment in putting in the whole show. But, yes, way more people got effed over than promoted to the top so if he feels good about his choices, then good on him for staying true to who he is.

[@kurtispopp]

He had a beef with Eric Bischoff about jobbing to Johnny B Badd, too.

[@raulo19999]

He was on a pet show verbal deal at that time when everybody on wcw got a guaranteed deal and a lot weren't showing up or working. I don't blame him.

[@richardthompson6366]

Protect yourself, no one else can be trusted.

[@bobbylenz3594]

Honky tonk was a great heal.

[@travelreview5962]

Is losing to Randy Savage really killing your career? Like didn't everyone except Hulk lose to Randy?

[@Eddie-61864]

Hulk lost to Randy via 2 count outs outside the ring! The first one was actually my favorite encounter! Randy pretty much humiliated Hulk!

[@djp2513]

It would have destroyed Honky's career. Everyone wanted to see him lose so bad. Once he lost he would have been completely irrelevant. Honky retaining the belt was the best thing for him, Savage AND the WWF.

[@johncook9392]

@@djp2513 As much as I never cared for Honky, I agree with you about him retaining the belt being for the best...

[@djp2513]

@johncook9392 nobody liked Honky Tonk. That was the point! Keeping the belt on him made fans crazy! The more he retained the title, the crazier fans got! Putting the belt on Savage would have killed a ton of momentum. Savage was ready for the world title. Putting the ic title on him would have been pointless

[@danielvrodriguez81]

You are not getting the point. He didn't care about losing to Savage. He was upset that he was not going to be heard from again and repackage him.

[@GoldFinger34]

Honky Tonk Man is / was the Otis Williams (The Temptations) of wrestling.

[@philleotardo8760]

He’s a great talker.

[@walker1984]

If McMahon had actual plans for him, he would have done the job. Instead he gave Honky nothing concrete, which raised questions.

[@BFF-Bootcamp-Belleville-NJ]

That million dollar belt was beautiful tho

[@biccytrollox]

He's got long sideburns and his hair slicked back...

[@Cranknfodder]

My favourite wrestler/entertainer. It’s just a shame his guitar was always out of tune. Man he used to make me laugh 😂

[@berranari1]

Funny knowing what we know now about Vincent K and Pat P that they were only looking at Macho and Liz. 😅

[@leiko9]

Though he was a mid card attraction, Honky Tonk Man did put his best foot forward for the company. Got to give him his respect.