Teddy Long is a WWE Hall of Famer known for his tenure as Smackdown and ECW General Manager and as a referee in WWE. Big thank you to Chris Hughes from Appalachian Championship Wrestling for helping to make this interview happen! Teddy sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Indianapolis, IN to talk about this legendary career as a WWE personality, his role as the Smackdown GM, his iconic lines like "One on one with The Undertaker", "Lemme holla at ya, playa" and being part of the "Buckle up Teddy" segment. He discusses how becoming friends with James Brown led to him working in wrestling, how he got hired by WWE, working as a referee before becoming an on-air personality, his dance moves, being chased by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin on an ATV and much more!
Check out Teddy Long’s podcast “Road Trip After Hours” here: https://youtube.com/@roadtripafterhours
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00:00 Intro
00:35 What’s on his WWE Hall of Fame ring?
01:16 How he got his start as a pro wrestling referee
07:53 What did he want to do when he was a kid?
08:58 Working for the legendary James Brown
10:49 Managing The Undertaker at the beginning of his career
12:08 Having issues with John Laurinaitis
14:15 What was his relationship with Vince McMahon
15:40 Did he ever feel like he was one of the boys?
16:31 The origin of his using the word playa
17:14 When did he start doing his on-screen dance?
18:22 Adding emphasis to 1-on-1 with The Undertaker
20:58 How did he get his referee job in WWE
25:45 Being in the right place at the right time
26:58 Was he surprised about the John Laurinaitis lawsuits
28:47 Memories of Over the Edge 1999
30:59 Being the referee for D-lo Brown vs Droz
32:16 What does he hear in his earpiece as a ref
33:33 Does he think his career is over?
34:13 What’s the origin of ‘buckle up Teddy’
36:59 Being ok taking himself the but of the joke
38:37 Was there anything he ever said no to
39:18 Stone Cold chasing him with the ATV
40:14 What did it mean to him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
41:24 Why does he hate Mark Corrano?
43:27 His memories of working with Eddie Guerrero
45:38 Eddie Guerrero destroying his Lincoln
46:11 Why has wrestling become more popular again?
48:14 His thoughts on The Rock vs Cody Rhodes
50:01 Honesty is Teddy Long's superpower
50:23 How many suits does he own?
51:33 Prioritizing his health and staying in the gym
53:36 Did he think CM Punk was going to return to WWE?
54:22 Does he ever think he’ll be back in WWE?
56:18 Vince McMahon being stumped by him during a promo
01:00:28 3 things Teddy Long is grateful for
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