Tugboat Shoot Interview

US Steel. Tugboat. Typhoon. Shockmaster. The man has been known by many names, and all of them have made an impact one way or the other. The man behind the names, Fred Ottman, is the latest guest in RF VIDEO’s shoot interview series. A down to Earth, humble guy, Ottman talks about his entire career; from his buzz-worthy stint in Florida, to his top-of-the-card run in WWE, all the way to his epically disastrous appearance in WCW. No stone was left unturned as we asked every question possible to a man who has been in some of the biggest locker rooms in wrestling history. Ottman started his career between Memphis and Texas, and we got him to discuss what it was like working for two of wrestling’s biggest all time stars in Jerry Lawler and Bruiser Brody. What were both men like outside the ring? What were the politics going on behind the scenes? What was it like working with guys like Gary Hart and Bill Dundee? Working with Dusty Rhodes in Florida, we got the scoop on how Ottman got the name US Steel along with what he thought about all the guys in the territory such as Oliver Humperdink. Ottman explains in detail the offers he received from WCW and WWF and explained why he went to New York. Working for Vince McMahon opened up a whole can of worms and Ottman told us what it was like to work with Hogan right off the bat. We got a ton of backstage WWF stories as all the big names were still there including Andre the Giant, Iron Sheik, Honky Tonk Man, Ted DiBiase, the Road Warriors and Randy Savage. What really happened the night Nailz attacked McMahon? You’ll hear that story along with insane tales of what Lex Luger and Ultimate Warrior would do behind the scenes. No Ottman shoot would be complete without talking about one of wrestling’s most unforgettable debuts…SHOCKMASTER. Ottman speaks of that infamous Clash of the Champions moment and is hilarious as he recalls the event. This is truly a must see moment on the DVD. We also covered all his major matches and feuds in WCW including Steven Regal, Ricky Steamboat, Sid Vicious, and appearing in War Games. Tugboat fans and basically anyone who grew up during the 90s will enjoy this interview as Ottman was in the two biggest wrestling companies during a fantastic time. You’ll get Von Erich stories, where the name Tugboat came from, and stories of working with all those fantastic WWF tag teams of the era. Howd you get started Was the training more difficult than you thought Memories of your first match How did you get into Memphis Who gave you the name Big Bubba the Belt Collector Memories of matches with Jerry Lawler Thoughts on Lawler Was he fair to you Thoughts on Bill Dundee Do you think part of the problem today is that there aren’t places like Memphis Who did you work with down there Any good road stories Why did you leave Memories of Texas All Star Wrestling Memories of Gary Hart Memories of Bruiser Brody Memories of matches with Al Madril Memories of matches with John Boyd Why did you go back to Memphis Did you have more respect now that you were more experienced How did you wind up in Florida Initial impressions of Dusty Rhodes Who’s idea was US Steel Is it true that you were sued because of that name Memories of matches with Dusty Memories of a young Dustin Memories of being managed by Oliver Humperdink Memories of Dallas Page You wrestled in the WWF as the Big Steel Man with Slick, was that a tryout How did you wind up going to the WWE Did you have any negotiations with WCW Was Dusty upset Were you surprised when he went later How difficult was it for him to run a territory in 1989 Initial memories and thoughts of Vince McMahon Memories of Pat Patterson What was the dynamic of the locker room back then Were you accepted Who did you ride with Who came up with the Tugboat gimmick Why did they drop the last name from the name Did you like it Memories teaming with Hulk Hogan Was the plan for you to eventually turn and feud with Hulk How huge was it to debut with the immediate rub from Hogan Did you encounter any jealousy from the other guys Memories of matches with Earthquake Memories of matches with Rhythm and Blues Thoughts on Honkytonk Man Memories of being in the main event at Survivor Series Memories of matches with Dino Bravo How tough was the travel schedule How hard was it to travel on planes comfortably Did you like working the SWS shows Thoughts on Tenryu Memories of matches against the Iron Sheik Any good Sheik stories Were you originally supposed to wrestle Undertaker at WrestleMania 7 Memories of Kerry Von Erich Some of the guys have told stories about Kerry just being out of it, true Memories of matches with Undertaker Memories of matches with Ted Dibiase Do you think it was a bad thing to debut with Hogan on top, being that you can’t go any higher when you debut at the top Memories of Roddy Piper Memories of Andre the Giant Whos idea was it to turn you heel Did you like it Did you like tag team or singles wrestling Thoughts on your team with Earthquake Thoughts on being managed by Jimmy Hart Jimmy has been accused of being an office stooge, do you agree Memories of matches against the Road Warriors Did you like working with them Memories of matches with Money Inc Memories of matches with the Nasty Boys Memories of matches with the Beverly Brothers Do you get bored working the same match on the road Memories of matches with Duggan and Slaughter Were you surprised when Ric Flair came over Memories of Randy Savage Were you there the night Nailz attacked Vince Thoughts on Lex Luger Did you prefer working as faces or heels What did you expect after you broke up the team How did Vince change when he was indicted Do you think he did provide steroids Did you ever feel pressured to take them Were you frustrated that they didn’t give you a big push after the Disasters Memories of matches with Bigelow Thoughts on matches with Yokozuna Was there a match or conversation when you thought you could see the writing on the wall Do you think you still could have drawn money How did it end for you in the WWF Did you leave on good terms How did you wind up in WCW What were the plans for you in WCW Can you talk about the night you debuted What happened What were you thinking after it happened How did the locker room react Are you surprised that the angle is still one of the most remembered angles in wrestling Did you realize how big it was or did you just think it would pass over Why did they use Ole Anderson to pre record your voice Who was the booker at the time Who’s idea was Super Shockmaster Who’s idea was it to play off of the angle and turn you into a klutz You teamed with Hardbody Harrison in WCW, how shocked were you when he went to jail for running a sex slave operation How different was WCW run as opposed to the WWF Memories of matches with Ricky Steamboat Memories of matches with William Regal Memories of teaming with Paul Orndorff Memories of the War Games Memories of matches with Sid Vicious Why did you wind up leaving What did you do after WCW Were you prepared to retire How did you wind up back for the gimmick battle royal Did you like it How were you received by the locker room How had Vince changed Was the door open to return Any good Iron Sheik stories How had things changed How were you treated that night Do you think you should be in the WWE Hall of Fame Do you still watch wrestling What are your thoughts on all of the deaths of the past few years and which in particular hit you hardest Thoughts on UFC and comparisons to pro wrestling Do you want to write a book What do you think about the media attention pro wrestling is getting now in regards to drug abuse Is it hard to adjust to life after pro wrestling What do you do today Fav and least fav guys to work with Fav ribs and road stories Any chances of coming back How did the story WWE.com did on you come about What do you miss most and least about being a full time wrestler