1. Koko B. Ware Says Vince McMahon Was Surprised With The Popularity of The Birdman Gimmick, Says Hulk Hogan Is Not A Racist
During a recent appearance on the Two Man Power Trip of Wreslting Podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Koko B. Ware talked about his Birdman gimmick, his popularity, Hulk Hogan & more. Below are the highlights:
Did Vince McMahon come up with the “Birdman” gimmick to go along with all the other “animal” acts in the WWF & what did Vince think of Koko’s popularity:
“Maybe later on down the line but it wasn’t too much Hollywood on our part because Vince didn’t give me the gimmick at all. That was created by me and my wife. We created the “Birdman” gimmick from day one and Vince McMahon who loves gimmicks at the time was searching and having agents go out all over the territories and taking the best talents out of those territories and bring them to the WWF back then. That was one of the things that he didn’t give to me and when I got there he was so excited and he used it and it took off. He was very shocked that my gimmick took off the way it did and he couldn’t believe that my popularity shot up and that my gimmick was getting over.”
His history with Hulk Hogan & thoughts on the racism controversy:
[showhide more_text=”Read More” less_text=”Read Less”]“When Hulk Hogan came to Memphis, Tennessee along with his “brother” Eddie Boulder (Brutus Beefcake) I’m the one that helped them out a lot because at the time nobody would show them anything in Memphis and because they were “green” and coming out of Tampa, Florida they didn’t know a wrestling hold or wrist-lock from a wrist-watch. Hogan wanted to learn how to dropkick and wanted to learn how to do a lot of crazy things and I told him that he needed to learn how to do all the big man stuff.
The whole time I was with Hogan, there was never ever any racial stuff that came up in that car or ever came up in the dressing room. I never heard him say anything out of the ordinary and that’s why I was shocked when I heard that because that is not the Terry that I know. He was like a brother to me from a different mother and God bless him, I am glad he won his lawsuit. I can honestly say that and I’m not saying that so I can get a payoff, I could care less because I am not going to sit here and tell a lie that he was racist back in the day because if he was racist back in the day then I would say it right now.”
Time with a young Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson while he was training in USWA and advice he gave him about going up to the WWE:
“When he was a kid his nickname was “Dewey” and my wife used to babysit him. One day he was sitting down on my couch and his dad was a wrestler, Rocky Johnson and he said to me that he was going to quit the wrestling business and go and get a real job because he’s starving to death. I told him, “Dewey” let me tell you one thing if you keep working out, you are a good looking man and the girls down here love you to death. Can you imagine if they gave you a win and started doing something with you? Girls are screaming over you right now once you come out of the dressing room because of that baby-face you have but if you get the chance to go the to the WWF(E) and he stopped me and said that his Dad had burned all of his bridges up there and I said I want you to get to the WWE and keep your mouth shut and do what they tell you to do and they might treat you a little better than your Dad. They may look at you as a different black man than they already have pushed. They may not look at you like that and what do you know the last time I talked to him he told me he was going up to the WWF and I told him to go up there and make some money and don’t you know, look at him now.”
[/showhide]Also Read: Top NXT Stars Being Added To The Club? Lady Pulls A Gun On An Indy Wrestler During Wrestling Event – Click Here.
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