Ziggy Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Yeah, slaves weren't paid. Virgil was a paid employee who took a lot of shit because he probably needed the money. If you remove the racial component (which I understand is very hard to do in these cases) it's not that different from JBL/Shawn, Big Show/McMahons etc. In fact, it was when Ted *began* to treat Virgil as a servant that he rose up. The Kamala gimmick is racist, but so is like every savage gimmick ever. Shit, Umaga was a racist gimmick too. The Usos and Big 'Kish have been like the only Samoans to be portrayed somewhat well in WWE. ...the Rock? This is more to my point I've been watching wrestling as long as I can remember, and as a black kid I think I was am extra sensitive to some of the more racist elements of what I was watching. I think Ron Simmons is the first black guy I remember being treated like a person in wrestling. Whether or not Virgil was an actual slave is irrelevant to me, because it was basically another example of a black guy being treated like less than a human being. I'm still trying to figure out if I found Koko B. Ware offensive or his fashion sense offensive, but it was one of the two. My brother mentioned that to me a few months ago, he said he and his friends were talking about how racists the Virgil gimmick was. I never thought abought it until as i got older. Bad News pointed out alot of racial themes in his shoots. i remember as a kid Farroqq, cut that promo about the Blackman being held down before his title match with 'Taker, I loved it, I never really found those gimmicks offensive because I was too young. i wish Faaroqq came in before Ahmed because its was time for them to have a Black WWF champion, I loved Ahmed but he wasnt ready Vince wanted him to be there answer to Michael Jordan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie M. Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 The old white man mentality still exists in WWE because there's no other possible explanation why anyone would think the Primetime Players gimmick was a heel gimmick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victator Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 i remember as a kid Farroqq, cut that promo about the Blackman being held down before his title match with 'Taker, He wasn't even working in the WWF then. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Mann Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Apropos of nothing, this has to be a record for the longest stretch of posts that Virgil's name has been kicked around without any mention of empty merch tables or Deadspin-inspired anecdotes. Yay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydneybrown Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Apropos of nothing, this has to be a record for the longest stretch of posts that Virgil's name has been kicked around without any mention of empty merch tables or Deadspin-inspired anecdotes. Yay? Well, thanks for ruining it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEN! Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Hercules was the slave, people. The Mexican not the black guy. Virgil was a bodyguard that dressed like wrapping paper and was also an incompetent buffoon and DiBiase treated him accordingly. Meng and Bubba Rogers were also bodyguards. They dressed like professionals and did their jobs well and got along delightfully with their employers as a result. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS81177 Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 If there's ONE THING I CAIN'T STAND it's a bunch of guys derailing a thread about the Steve Austin show and getting things all catawampus. It leaves me bamboozled and flabbergasted. I don't know whether to shit or wind my watch! To try and get this back on track, I listened to the Pat O'Brien interview and it was really good. Also a new episode is up, entitled Steve UNLEASHED. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyLaw Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 The old white man mentality still exists in WWE because there's no other possible explanation why anyone would think the Primetime Players gimmick was a heel gimmick. Vince (and ergo creative) is horribly out of touch with modern culture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Territorial Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I never thought Virgil was literally a slave (I assumed he was being paid). However, even as a youngster, I thought it was a demeaning, borderline racist gimmick. I kinda assumed the company didn't realize how it was really coming across. If I had to sum up the gimmick, "Stephen Fetchit" would be an apt descriptor. This also fits too: This older black woman stands up and screams "Hey Virgil...........you ain't nothing but a house nigger". She then explained why she though this about Virgil to the crowd sitting around her. Yeah, she had a better grasp of how the gimmick came across than creative did. I'm shocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig H Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 He's an African American who wore a bow tie, never spoke, tended to stay in the background, stooged and played the role as a whipping boy, carried out orders given to him, and did anything embarrassing or humiliating commanded to him by a white guy named the fucking Million Dollar Man whose catch phrase was "Everyone has a price." How the fuck was Virgil not a slave? EDIT: Editing to add that even as a child, the Virgil character reminded me of the movie "The Toy." Because he was not. He was never once called a slave. They even did an angle where he tried to buy a slave and he stressed it was the one thing he did not possess. Virgil was a paid employee. His primary job was to protect Dibiase. As time went on, Dibiase became more abusive and Virgil turned on him.FYI: A lot of bodyguards tend to wear ties. Yeah, slaves weren't paid. Virgil was a paid employee who took a lot of shit because he probably needed the money. If you remove the racial component (which I understand is very hard to do in these cases) it's not that different from JBL/Shawn, Big Show/McMahons etc. In fact, it was when Ted *began* to treat Virgil as a servant that he rose up. The Kamala gimmick is racist, but so is like every savage gimmick ever. Shit, Umaga was a racist gimmick too. The Usos and Big 'Kish have been like the only Samoans to be portrayed somewhat well in WWE. Ok, I see what you guys are saying, and I'm on board. You have changed my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Fresh Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 If there's ONE THING I CAIN'T STAND it's a bunch of guys derailing a thread about the Steve Austin show and getting things all catawampus. It leaves me bamboozled and flabbergasted. I don't know whether to shit or wind my watch!To try and get this back on track, I listened to the Pat O'Brien interview and it was really good. Also a new episode is up, entitled Steve UNLEASHED.Balderdash! Poppycock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Ray Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Not Austin, but other Podcast One mirrored shows: - DDP was on Adam Carolla's podcast yesterday. - Mark Henry is on Jay Mohr's active show today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supremebve Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Not Austin, but other Podcast One mirrored shows: - DDP was on Adam Carolla's podcast yesterday. - Mark Henry is on Jay Mohr's active show today. DDP is the most endearing blowhard of all time. He is completely ridiculous, but it is really hard not to like him. When he said, "I stopped gambling on football and started gambling on myself," I damn near spit my coffee all over my work computer. The dude off was good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Mann Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 There are two types of blowhards. The kind that care if you like them and the kind that don't give a crap if you like them at all. Page is the former. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Throat Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 I never thought Virgil was literally a slave (I assumed he was being paid). However, even as a youngster, I thought it was a demeaning, borderline racist gimmick. I kinda assumed the company didn't realize how it was really coming across. If I had to sum up the gimmick, "Stephen Fetchit" would be an apt descriptor. It's Stepin Fetchit. You accidentally made it less racist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Territorial Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Oops. Typo. My bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Fresh Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Not Austin, but other Podcast One mirrored shows:- DDP was on Adam Carolla's podcast yesterday.- Mark Henry is on Jay Mohr's active show today.DDP is the most endearing blowhard of all time. He is completely ridiculous, but it is really hard not to like him. When he said, "I stopped gambling on football and started gambling on myself," I damn near spit my coffee all over my work computer. The dude off was good too.I still steal the DDP line that Foley wrote about about in his book."How are you?""Baby, if I were doing any better, there would need to be two of me just to handle it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS81177 Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 So I downloaded a bunch of Colt Cabana's podcasts and have listened to about a dozen so far. They've been mostly good but god almighty Colt is a shitty interviewer. He comes across like he's conducting the interview on a few minute's notice and is making the questions up as he goes along. Plus he talks over the guests way too much. I know he's an active wrestler and doesn't have the time or resources that Austin does, but Austin blows him out of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 Yeah, the Colt pod has been left in the dust by Austin. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 Austin is a great interviewer to be sure, but is there a bad enough dude at PodcastOne to tell him stop breathing into the mic? Or does he have a dog on his lap or something (that would be ok). EDIT: i'm an asshole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bink_winkleman Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 He's mentioned that he has big time nasal issues from getting smashed up in the ring, in a sort of pseudo-apology for all the noise. I don't like him having a "clean" show once a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 He's mentioned that he has big time nasal issues from getting smashed up in the ring, in a sort of pseudo-apology for all the noise. I don't like him having a "clean" show once a week. Is the other show gonna prolong the Regal episode I been waiting eons for that interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cool arrow Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 He's mentioned that he has big time nasal issues from getting smashed up in the ring, in a sort of pseudo-apology for all the noise. I don't like him having a "clean" show once a week. Well, in the immortal words of Steve Martin: "If you appeal to everyone, it's more... money." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Apparently, JR episode today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MushroomJones Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Under a different link/url/iTunes subscription. Why have one top podcast when you can have TWO? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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