Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho – Bill Apter Interview (Sept. 30, 2015)

TALK IS JERICHO – EPISODE #182
Host: Chris Jericho (Y2J)
Guest: PWI’s Bill Apter
Release Date: Sept. 30, 2015

DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD

Report By: Rashod Bacon, PWPodcasts Reporter

OFFICIAL SUMMARY

“Bill Apter of Pro Wrestling Illustrated fame has a new book hitting shelves, ‘Is Wrestling Fixed? I Didn’t Know It Was Broken,’ and he’s on TIJ to talk about that & his incredible career. He’s telling stories about Hulk Hogan & Rocky III, Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler, breaking three ribs in the ring with Shawn Michaels, being banned from WWE matches, ladies apartment wrestling, Andre The Giant, and why Macho Man Randy Savage wanted to kill him! And he does some pretty funny impersonations of some of the greats!”

NOTEWORTHY QUOTES & SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

• “Dave Meltzer, in the Wrestling Observer, started calling them the Apter Mags…” Apter explains who created the phrase “Apter Mags.”

• “We covered Wrestling like Sports Illustrated would cover any sport.  That was the mentality.” – Apter explains PWI’s approach to covering wrestling.

• “This is why Bret talks like this because he’s got a sore throat from complaining…”

•  Apter impersonates Bret Hart’s voice in a joke about about the PWI rankings.

• “Thank God for Google.” – Apter says in reference to not remembering all of his own history in the business.

• “Andy Kaufman wants to break into pro wrestling.  Vince, Sr. doesn’t want any part of it.” – Apter explains that Vince, Sr. was into wrestling not entertainment.

• “Paul, Triple H, knows everything about wrestling.” – Apter

• Bill Apter shares a controversial perspective on the Benoit tragedy, “I think when he got home, Nancy and his son were already dead.”

• “I was on an airplane when Flair mooned everybody.” – Apter

SUBJECTS COVERED (W/TIME STAMPS)

00:00 – Advertisement

00:30 – Introduction #1 (Short bio on Bill Apter & summary of podcast)

01:40 – Advertisements

03:47 – Introduction #2

04:27 – Y2J shares a lengthy story about his recent trip to Dodgers Stadium in L.A. to see AC/DC live in concert

13:52 – Advertisements

16:22 – Interview begins with Bill Apter talking about seeing Y2J’s recent matches.

17:43 – Apter and Jericho discuss why Pro Wrestling magazines are referred to as “Apter Mags.”

19:25 – Apter interrupts Y2J to share a brief story from the funeral of Dusty Rhodes.

20:10 – Jericho and Apter talk about the wrestler rankings of Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI).

29:52 – YJ2 shifts the conversation to Bill Apter’s new book.

33:10 – Apter begins a story about Vince McMahon Senior, Jerry Lawler, and Andy Kaufman.

38:30 – Apter tells a story about uncomfortable situations with Randy Savage, Scott Hall, Scott Steiner, and the Von Erichs.

42:06 – Advertisements.

47:24 – Interview resumes with a story about how Bill Apter got banned from WWE but was offered a job by Vince, Jr.

51:00 – Apter reveals story about Apartment Wrestling.

53:15 – Apter shares his theory on the Chris Benoit tragedy. He believes that Chris Benoit got into some sort of “trouble” and the family was murdered by a professional hitman.

57:52 – Y2J shifts the conversation to a lighter topic and Apter talks about hanging with the boys.

59:30 – Apter talks about his time in the ring and shares random stories about his experiences in and around the wrestling business.

1:10:20 – Apter discusses his part in connecting Hogan and Stallone.

1:14:30 – Apter does impersonations and tells more stories.

1:23:15 – Bill Apter starts rapping like John Cena.

1:24:02 – Interview ends and Jericho goes into his normal close by sharing dates for his upcoming wrestling bookings and Fozzy tour dates and sponsor shout-outs.

1:27:33 – Advertisements & AP News Update.

SCORE & REVIEW

9 out of 10:  For wrestling fans, students of the game, and “smart fans,” this is a MUST LISTEN episode of Talk is Jericho.  Apter has a rich history in the wrestling industry and he shares a number of interesting stories.  Perhaps, the most compelling was Apter’s theory on the death of the Benoits. Jericho didn’t seem to agree with Apter’s theory on Benoit and you can sense that the topic makes Y2J a little uncomfortable.  About three-quarters through the episode, you realize that Jericho didn’t speak much during the podcast.  He was clearly fascinated and surprised by some of the stories, impersonations, and theories shared by Bill Apter.  All in all, the episode was solid. This is nitpicking but it would have been great to hear Bill’s perspective on what WWE labels “Sports Entertainment” and how it compares to the Pro Wrestling he covered for 30+ years.