Pat Tanaka Shoot Interview

RF VIDEO had the privilege to sit down with a second generation superstar, Pat Tanaka. Pat was one half of the Bad Company tag team that ran rampant in the AWA and Memphis territories and later went to the WWE with long time tag team partner Paul Diamond. Pat also was in ECW and WCW as well and we touch on that too. During this tell all interview Pat talks about everything from growing up in the business, breaking into the business at a young age, road stories with some of the most notorious ribbers like Curt Henning, drug use and of course making it into the big time with the WWE. Pat holds nothing back for this one on one exclusive tell all interview. Pat talks all about coming up in the Florida territory and being around legends like Hiro Matsuda and Eddie Graham. You will hear how Dusty Rhodes played a huge role into getting him his first break in the Crockett territory. What was it like to work TV during that time period and work with the greats like Abby, Tully Blanchard, Ric Flair. How did Pat wind up working for Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett. What was the memphis territory like during its heyday. How did he meet Paul Diamond for the very first time. Who were the guys in the locker room that he got along with. Want stories on Buddy Landel, Rocky Johnson and Bill Dundee? Pat later left the Memphis territory and we find out why. How did he end up working for Verne Gagne? What was a young Curt Henning like out of the ring. How crazy did the ribs get in the AWA, including a never told before Henning story. How about being around the legends like Greg Gagne, Nick Bockwinkel and other top acts from MN. Pat saw a lot of big names pass thru the AWA locker rooms and he has stories on all of them. Wait until you hear his Kerry Von Erich story from SuperClash. Pat made it to the big time when the WWE brought him into the company and find out why Paul Diamond did not come in with him at first. Pat talks about his legendary manager Mr. Fuji. What were his impressions of Hulk Hogan? Pat’s career crossed paths with The Rockers all of the map and how did he rate his matches with the Rockers, especially their classic at Wrestlemania 6. He has stories on all the vets from the WWE including Piper, Bret Hart, and so many more. How did Pat end up working for Paul Heyman in ECW. Did he get along with Paul behind the scenes. For the first time ever Pat talks about the horrible exploding ring match that took place at the ECW arena and what went wrong. Was it true that Pat would go to the ring with Cocaine taped inside his trunks? You will hear about his Japan tours with Sabu and how he worked for FMW and New Japan. What happened when he booked the late Chris Candido for his New Japan debut? How he ended up in WCW and what the politics were like during the Eric Bischoff reign. This interview is just a very fun filled interview with a guy who has nothing to loose and Pat opens up about his long career in the world of pro wrestling. If you loved Bad Company and want to learn and hear tons of amazing stories about the biggest names in the business this is one interview you can’t miss. To fans who don’t know, who is your father Memories growing up in a wrestling family Did you travel with your dad to shows Favorite memories and matches Any wrestlers nicer to you guys than others Memories of wrestlers at the house How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a wrestler Did you dad discourage it Favorite match of your dads Memories of Hiro Matsuda Memories of Eddie Graham How old were you when your dad told you that the business was a work Memories of training How did you get into Crockett promotions Road stories Memories of Dusty Rhodes Who taught you the most Was it frustrating being stuck as a preliminary guy Memories wrestling Abdullah the Butcher Memories of Ric Flair Were any of the vets ever concerned you would show them up Memories of Jim Crockett Memories of Tully Blanchard Memories of your first wrestling groupie How did you wind up in Memphis First memories of Jerry Lawler Memories of Jerry Jarrett Memories of Jeff and tag matches Was it more pressure to work with the booker’s son Favorite matches Road stories Memphis ring rat scene How did you and Paul Diamond first get together What did you like about teaming with him Did you get along Who came up with the name Badd Company Memories of matches with the Sheepherders Memories of Rocky Johnson Memories of Bill Dundee Memories of Buddy Landel Memories of matches with the Nasty Boys Memories of the Rockers from this time period Any good party stories Did you ever see the longterm potential in Shawn How did you wind up in the AWA Initial impressions of Verne Gagne Memories of Curt Hennig Memories of Greg Gagne Memories of Nick Bockwinkel Any Hennig rib memories Initial impressions of Dallas Page Did you guys like him as your manager Memories of matches with the Rockers in the AWA How did Verne like your matches since they were more aerial than what he was probably used to Were you surprised when the Rockers came back Memories of matches with the Top Guns Did you ever try getting back into Crockett/WCW during this time Memories of Wendi Richter and Super Clash Memories of Kerry Von Erich at Super Clash Were you on the show when Kerry’s boot came off Memories of Madusa Memories of matches with Ken Patera How did you get into the WWE Initial impressions of Vince McMahon How did the locker room accept you guys Were any of the vets upset about how athletic you guys were and maybe showing them up Impressions of Hulk Hogan Memories of Randy Savage Memories of the Ultimate Warrior Did you like the Orient Express gimmick Were you and Paul disappointed not to team Any good Mr. Fuji rib memories Memories of your WrestleMania 6 match against the Rockers Were Shawn and Marty any different there Any good Marty stories What happened with Curt and Marty’s car Were you on the tour in which Marty supposedly stole a bus Memories of matches with Nikolai and Duggan Memories of matches with the Road Warriors Did they give you a hard time about selling Were you there when Vince took everyone’s finishes Why did Sato wind up leaving Did you feel your matches were better with Paul Memories of your Royal Rumble match against The Rockers which people still talk about How did Vince like your matches against the Rockers Memories of matches against Owen and Koko Memories of Bret Hart Memories of Roddy Piper Memories of Kerry Von Erich in the WWE Memories of when Ric Flair came in Sato came back briefly, do you think that stopped you guys from progressing You left for a little while, what happened When you came back you never seemed to get any kind of push, was it frustrating Were things different without Hulk around Was your pay down with Bret on top as opposed to the Hogan days What happened with Paul on the Europe tour and someone’s wife How did you wind up leaving the WWE You and Paul went to ECW, did you think ECW would take off as it did Thoughts on Paul Heyman as booker Memories of matches with Public Enemy Memories of the “explosion” match Memories of matches with the Rottens Memories of Sabu Memories of teaming with The Sheik How did you wind up in WCW Thoughts on Eric Bischoff Did you expect a big push You and Paul wrestled a few matches together but there was no long push, how come You stuck around and popped up from time to time in WCW, were you under contract the whole time Memories of working in FMW Memories working in New Japan Memories of Antonio Inoki Memories of Shinya Hashimoto You were one of the most talented guys of your era, are you surprised bigger things never happened for you You have talked before about your struggles with drugs, can you talk about them here Is it possible for you to wrestle full time and stay sober Thoughts on Chris Candido Thoughts on Scott Hall and his struggles There was a lot of partying in your era of pro wrestling, are you surprised at the WWE’s wellness policy, etc Thoughts about steroids in wrestling Best shoot you ever saw in or out of the ringWho do you think is the most overrated worker you ever worked with Can territories work today Do you have any plans to write a book How close do you still follow the business At what point in your career did you have to get another job besides wrestling and what do you currently do Do you have any advice for guys breaking in today Any matches you regret Favorite ribs Favorite road stories Favorite groupie stories Favorite party stories Are you surprised TNA hasn’t booked you with your connections to Jeff If you were coming up today would you lean more into getting into MMA than wrestling Thoughts on WWE dropping all references to wrestling