Post by Emperor Ihsahn on Jun 20, 2015 7:30:29 GMT -5
I got this from Reddit, enjoy...
Meng on His Reputation of Being the Toughest Man in the Locker Room:
"(Wrestlers) just wanna throw my name out for the heck of it. I think we were all tough. You had to make the people believe that in wrestling for us to make some money. For us to have all those angles on TV, and to bring them back for all this good stuff. Everybody was tough those days to make money and protect the business."
Rick Martel:
"Wrestling...you don't have to convince ME that it's real - convince the people, y'know? I mean, that's what the 'art' of wrestling is. We all know it's a work...so, man - LOOK like you're taking my head off, but [don't really].
I'll give you an example. King Haku...I would put this guy against anybody [in a real fight]...he could kill anybody - this guy's a killing machine. Ask anybody in professional wrestling, 'Who's the toughest motherfucker you've ever met?' It's this guy.
[But, in the ring] he'd give you a side-kick or whatever and [you would barely feel it].
That. That is the art."
Ric Flair:
[Comparing MMA fighters to Haku] “Don’t ever think that anybody would mess with Haku. If he was a young guy and he got into MMA, my god — he’d have done everything! He was the toughest son of a bitch I’ve ever met in my whole life. No lie, take my word for it.”
Perry Saturn:
[After being asked who would win in a fight between The Barbarian, Meng, Scott Norton, Jim Duggan, Fit Finlay, Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner and himself] “Tonga. Nobody else would stand a chance. Not even a question. He could kill everyone without blinking and there is nothing anyone could do about it.”
Ted DiBiase:
One time we were in a rough part of St. Louis for a show. Everyone had been drinking and a large fight broke out, which resulted in the police showing up. Meng had a few drinks, but saw the fight break out so he started trying to break it up. In the process, police thought he was part of the fight and maced him then handcuffed him. Meng was cuffed behind his back, looked at the police, and snapped the handcuffs.
Bobby Heenan:
Meng is the toughest man, not just wrestler, I've ever met in my life. A fight once broke out in a bar and Meng took his two fingers on his right hand, his index finger and trigger finger, and he reached into the guy’s mouth and he broke off the guy’s bottom teeth. If I hadn’t been there and seen it himself, I wouldn’t believe it.
The only two men in the world that Andre [the Giant] feared were Meng and Harley Race.
Rick Steiner:
[One time] Meng fought off eight police officers. They shot him with mace and he closed his eyes and sucked it in. He just opened his mouth and took a deep breath. I mean some of the stuff he did was like, ‘What the hell?’ Scotty and I always thought we were tough guys but that was before we met Meng.
Arn Anderson:
There are three types of men in the world. There are tough men, there are wrestler-tough men, and then there’s Meng. He was in a completely different category than anyone else on the planet. There was one instance where a large cowboy was arguing with Meng and he pushed the cowboy through two different sets of doors using only one hand.
On choking Brutus Beefcake and lifting him two feet in the air:
One of the most famous Meng stories happened during his time as Haku in the WWF. Brutus Beefcake had gone to management and complained that Meng slapped him too hard during their match. When Meng found out he walked straight to Beefcake’s locker room and grabbed him out of the shower. He started choking him and lifted him two feet in the air while everyone else looked on because they were too scared to step in and break it up. Eventually Hulk Hogan came in and talked Meng down.
Eric Bischoff:
Meng was never fired from WCW because no one was brave enough to do it. On one particular day, Greg Gagne and I walked into the locker room and interrupted a conversation between Meng and Chris Candido, Chris Jericho, and Tammy Sytch. Meng immediately looked at the pair of us and said, “Hey! Apologize to my friends. I’m talking to them.” The entire room went silent and everyone just froze. It was then that I realized the stories about Meng weren’t just legends. Gagne and I apologized to them and waited for the conversation to finish before speaking with Meng.
On setting fellow wrestler Jesse Barr straight in Puerto Rico:
On a trip to Puerto Rico, Meng was walking with fellow wrestler Jesse Barr when Barr decided to kick dirt onto a man who was digging ditches. Meng was upset by it and told Barr he shouldn’t have done it. Barr decided to get in Meng’s face and argue with him, which turned out to be a bad idea. Meng grabbed him and popped his eyeball out of socket. Some wrestlers claimed he completely tore it out, but Meng said that wasn’t true.
Meng responds to the above incident from 1987:
"I didn't take his eyeballs off. I was ready to, my hands were in there, ready to take his eye off, but then I realized how stupid we were. Here we are brothers on the road together. I told Jim after all these things, and he got fired for it, and all these things here. And I feel bad for him. It was something that happened at that moment."
Meng on taking particular offense when anyone called wrestling fake:
"When I walk in and you tell me it's fake, I'll show you how fake the business is. Whether I take your teeth out or take your eyeballs off or whatever it was in those days. Maybe they're going to kick my butt around, but watch it - I'm coming back and finding you. But those were those days. I'm glad nobody picked up a gun and shot my ass. But in those days, that's how it was. It's my love for the business."
Kevin Sullivan:
On one occasion when I was a booker in WCW, I asked Meng to do something that wasn’t major, but it wasn’t completely the right thing to do. Meng got a little upset and it was the most scared I've ever been in my entire life, despite Meng not being that angry.
I've also used Meng to my advantage when I had to inform a few guys that they would be losing an upcoming match. When the wrestlers became upset and told me they refused to do the job, I told them that, instead of arguing, I would just go get Meng and have him take care of the situation. The guys immediately agreed to lose their matches if I promised not to go get Meng.
The Bite:
Kevin Sullivan was a wrestler/booker in WCW and traveled with Meng quite often when they were on the road. He told a story to WWE Classics about the time the duo went to a tavern to grab a few beers before heading to their hotel. According to Sullivan, it was obvious that he and Meng weren't locals, so when they walked into the bar, a guy playing pool called Meng a horrible, derogatory word.
"The next thing I know is that Meng goozles the guy like Mr. Spock," Sullivan said. "It was fast and furious. He then grabbed another guy who tried to get involved and knocked him unconscious."
After that, things got even crazier. "Meng bit through the guy's shirt like a wolf, bit a chunk out of the guy's back, then spit it on the floor," he said. "I said, 'It's time to go.' "
Sullivan said that as they drove from the bar he saw police cars pulling into the parking lot, but authorities didn't pursue them and no charges were ever filed.
Meng on an infamous airport incident:
"It was in Baltimore Airport. There was a hotel there. We were staying at another hotel - the Marriot or something. There was another hotel there, though. It was hopping at the time. The music was playing and it was packed. It was during the week I believe. Me and Siva Afi went over and there were lots of babyfaces there at the bar. So we went and sat in the other corner away from them. When they were ready to close, we had a few drinks, and on our way out there were five guys just sitting there. Of course, the same thing came out. The "fake" stuff. "Hey, are you guys with those guys - wrestlers? The fake wrestlers on TV?" You know. I said, "Yeah. I'll show you." And I reached over without thinking - there are four other guys there (laughs) - grabbed his face, and bit his nose off. Then the fight started. Me and Siva kind of cleaned house there and left. I'll never forget it (laughs)."
Jake Roberts:
"If I had a gun and was sitting inside a tank with one shell left and Meng is 300 yards away, he’s mine, right? Well the first thing I’m going to do is jump out of the tank and shoot myself because I don’t want to wound that son of a bitch and have him pissed off at me.”
Meng on His Reputation of Being the Toughest Man in the Locker Room:
"(Wrestlers) just wanna throw my name out for the heck of it. I think we were all tough. You had to make the people believe that in wrestling for us to make some money. For us to have all those angles on TV, and to bring them back for all this good stuff. Everybody was tough those days to make money and protect the business."
Rick Martel:
"Wrestling...you don't have to convince ME that it's real - convince the people, y'know? I mean, that's what the 'art' of wrestling is. We all know it's a work...so, man - LOOK like you're taking my head off, but [don't really].
I'll give you an example. King Haku...I would put this guy against anybody [in a real fight]...he could kill anybody - this guy's a killing machine. Ask anybody in professional wrestling, 'Who's the toughest motherfucker you've ever met?' It's this guy.
[But, in the ring] he'd give you a side-kick or whatever and [you would barely feel it].
That. That is the art."
Ric Flair:
[Comparing MMA fighters to Haku] “Don’t ever think that anybody would mess with Haku. If he was a young guy and he got into MMA, my god — he’d have done everything! He was the toughest son of a bitch I’ve ever met in my whole life. No lie, take my word for it.”
Perry Saturn:
[After being asked who would win in a fight between The Barbarian, Meng, Scott Norton, Jim Duggan, Fit Finlay, Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner and himself] “Tonga. Nobody else would stand a chance. Not even a question. He could kill everyone without blinking and there is nothing anyone could do about it.”
Ted DiBiase:
One time we were in a rough part of St. Louis for a show. Everyone had been drinking and a large fight broke out, which resulted in the police showing up. Meng had a few drinks, but saw the fight break out so he started trying to break it up. In the process, police thought he was part of the fight and maced him then handcuffed him. Meng was cuffed behind his back, looked at the police, and snapped the handcuffs.
Bobby Heenan:
Meng is the toughest man, not just wrestler, I've ever met in my life. A fight once broke out in a bar and Meng took his two fingers on his right hand, his index finger and trigger finger, and he reached into the guy’s mouth and he broke off the guy’s bottom teeth. If I hadn’t been there and seen it himself, I wouldn’t believe it.
The only two men in the world that Andre [the Giant] feared were Meng and Harley Race.
Rick Steiner:
[One time] Meng fought off eight police officers. They shot him with mace and he closed his eyes and sucked it in. He just opened his mouth and took a deep breath. I mean some of the stuff he did was like, ‘What the hell?’ Scotty and I always thought we were tough guys but that was before we met Meng.
Arn Anderson:
There are three types of men in the world. There are tough men, there are wrestler-tough men, and then there’s Meng. He was in a completely different category than anyone else on the planet. There was one instance where a large cowboy was arguing with Meng and he pushed the cowboy through two different sets of doors using only one hand.
On choking Brutus Beefcake and lifting him two feet in the air:
One of the most famous Meng stories happened during his time as Haku in the WWF. Brutus Beefcake had gone to management and complained that Meng slapped him too hard during their match. When Meng found out he walked straight to Beefcake’s locker room and grabbed him out of the shower. He started choking him and lifted him two feet in the air while everyone else looked on because they were too scared to step in and break it up. Eventually Hulk Hogan came in and talked Meng down.
Eric Bischoff:
Meng was never fired from WCW because no one was brave enough to do it. On one particular day, Greg Gagne and I walked into the locker room and interrupted a conversation between Meng and Chris Candido, Chris Jericho, and Tammy Sytch. Meng immediately looked at the pair of us and said, “Hey! Apologize to my friends. I’m talking to them.” The entire room went silent and everyone just froze. It was then that I realized the stories about Meng weren’t just legends. Gagne and I apologized to them and waited for the conversation to finish before speaking with Meng.
On setting fellow wrestler Jesse Barr straight in Puerto Rico:
On a trip to Puerto Rico, Meng was walking with fellow wrestler Jesse Barr when Barr decided to kick dirt onto a man who was digging ditches. Meng was upset by it and told Barr he shouldn’t have done it. Barr decided to get in Meng’s face and argue with him, which turned out to be a bad idea. Meng grabbed him and popped his eyeball out of socket. Some wrestlers claimed he completely tore it out, but Meng said that wasn’t true.
Meng responds to the above incident from 1987:
"I didn't take his eyeballs off. I was ready to, my hands were in there, ready to take his eye off, but then I realized how stupid we were. Here we are brothers on the road together. I told Jim after all these things, and he got fired for it, and all these things here. And I feel bad for him. It was something that happened at that moment."
Meng on taking particular offense when anyone called wrestling fake:
"When I walk in and you tell me it's fake, I'll show you how fake the business is. Whether I take your teeth out or take your eyeballs off or whatever it was in those days. Maybe they're going to kick my butt around, but watch it - I'm coming back and finding you. But those were those days. I'm glad nobody picked up a gun and shot my ass. But in those days, that's how it was. It's my love for the business."
Kevin Sullivan:
On one occasion when I was a booker in WCW, I asked Meng to do something that wasn’t major, but it wasn’t completely the right thing to do. Meng got a little upset and it was the most scared I've ever been in my entire life, despite Meng not being that angry.
I've also used Meng to my advantage when I had to inform a few guys that they would be losing an upcoming match. When the wrestlers became upset and told me they refused to do the job, I told them that, instead of arguing, I would just go get Meng and have him take care of the situation. The guys immediately agreed to lose their matches if I promised not to go get Meng.
The Bite:
Kevin Sullivan was a wrestler/booker in WCW and traveled with Meng quite often when they were on the road. He told a story to WWE Classics about the time the duo went to a tavern to grab a few beers before heading to their hotel. According to Sullivan, it was obvious that he and Meng weren't locals, so when they walked into the bar, a guy playing pool called Meng a horrible, derogatory word.
"The next thing I know is that Meng goozles the guy like Mr. Spock," Sullivan said. "It was fast and furious. He then grabbed another guy who tried to get involved and knocked him unconscious."
After that, things got even crazier. "Meng bit through the guy's shirt like a wolf, bit a chunk out of the guy's back, then spit it on the floor," he said. "I said, 'It's time to go.' "
Sullivan said that as they drove from the bar he saw police cars pulling into the parking lot, but authorities didn't pursue them and no charges were ever filed.
Meng on an infamous airport incident:
"It was in Baltimore Airport. There was a hotel there. We were staying at another hotel - the Marriot or something. There was another hotel there, though. It was hopping at the time. The music was playing and it was packed. It was during the week I believe. Me and Siva Afi went over and there were lots of babyfaces there at the bar. So we went and sat in the other corner away from them. When they were ready to close, we had a few drinks, and on our way out there were five guys just sitting there. Of course, the same thing came out. The "fake" stuff. "Hey, are you guys with those guys - wrestlers? The fake wrestlers on TV?" You know. I said, "Yeah. I'll show you." And I reached over without thinking - there are four other guys there (laughs) - grabbed his face, and bit his nose off. Then the fight started. Me and Siva kind of cleaned house there and left. I'll never forget it (laughs)."
Jake Roberts:
"If I had a gun and was sitting inside a tank with one shell left and Meng is 300 yards away, he’s mine, right? Well the first thing I’m going to do is jump out of the tank and shoot myself because I don’t want to wound that son of a bitch and have him pissed off at me.”
