STW - The Nasty Boys [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Bruce - today we’re discussing one of my favorite tag teams, - The Nasty Boys!

Brian Yandrisovitz, born May 5, 1964 and Jerome Saganowich, born July 5, 1964 - better known of course as Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags - the Nasty Boys. They grew up in Allentown, PA and would get their start by training with Verne Gagne & Brad Rheingans. They were heavily pushed in the late 80s in the AWA working with the Midnight Rockers - Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty - early on. Bruce - when do you remember first hearing of the Nasty Boys?

Even though they were trained by Verne & Rheingans - they were not exactly well known as being catch as can technical wrestlers - they were brawlers - and from the stories over the years - stiff and some would call wreckless. What was your first impression of seeing their work?

They looked like wrestlers - bar room brawlers that you didn’t want to mess with. Was that who they were behind the curtain as well?

The Nasty Boys would ply their trade around the country, Memphis, Florida, even Japan…and Knobbs would get a one-off shot at a WWF house show in Daytona Beach in early June of 1990 - losing to Tugboat. Any memories of that?

Was it known they were a tag team?

They would debut with WCW in early August of 1990 and they’re pushed pretty heavily early on - being programmed with the Steiners. Is this when they land heavily on the WWF’s radar?

The Nasty Boys don’t have a deal with WCW - and while they’re working with one of the top tag teams in the world - and reportedly offered $156,000 contracts each - they finish up in just about 3 months with the rumor & innuendo that they were taking a WWF deal to come in and work with the Legion of Doom. Bruce - JR isn’t around at this time - so who do we give credit to for the Nastys coming in?

These are just two big bastards - this is right down the WWF’s alley are they not?

Did you see them as big time heels?

They’re joining a stacked tag team division - as we discussed the Legion of Doom, Demolition, their old friends the Rockers, the Hart Foundation, Bushwhackers, Orient Express - there wasn’t a tag team like them in the WWF at the time was there?

What was your first impression of meeting them?

They’re immediately put with Jimmy Hart and debut at a Superstars taping on December 11, 1990. Why do you think Jimmy was the right fit for them?

They immediately announce their intention to “Nastycize” any team that crossed their path - Bruce - if you had to define Nastycize - what would you say it was?

Their first music they come out to is them singing a song - but that was quickly replaced. Any idea why that was done?

Roddy Piper is doing commentary at the time and refers to Sags as Skaggs - is this Roddy just being Roddy or do you think he just didn’t get the name right?

Right away - Knobbs is put into a big spot. At the 1991 Royal Rumble Knobbs is one of the last 3 with Earthquake & Hulk Hogan. The rumor & innuendo is that Knobbs was inserted into the finish because it was originally supposed to be Honky Tonk Man in that spot but Honky had left…is that how you remember it?

Since Earthquake & Knobbs were both Jimmy Hart’s men - it seems like a natural fit since Honky was too. Do you know if this was the beginning of the Knobbs - Hogan friendship?

The Nasties have always been well known for their ribs - as Eddie Guerrero has discussed how he fell asleep while on tour with them in New Japan and they shaved his eyebrows - how long into their WWF run were they known as troublemakers?

The first run of house shows with the Nasty Boys on there they’re working with the Bushwhackers and even get a victory on their shot at MSG over the Bushwhackers. This is not exactly the normal protocol for a tag team coming into the company as heels - why were they pushed so heavily at first?

Just six weeks into their WWF debut, the Nastys win a tag team battle royal over the LOD, Demolition, the Rockers, Power & Glory, the Bushwhackers & the Orient Express to earn a tag team title match at WrestleMania. This is a big time shot is it not?

Were they ready for this type of spotlight?

Any hesitation in doing this? Or were you trying to avoid LOD - Hart Foundation as two babyface tag teams?

It’s been said that when they first walked into the company - they were very hard workers in getting the gimmick over and even attempting to get better - how highly is that looked upon by management?

The WWF would bring a match between the Nasty Boys & the Bushwhackers to the New York toy convention - you had to have a lot of faith in them to put them on a stage like that right?

Bret Hart would write this in his book about the Nasty Boys:

“Brian Knobbs was a loud, lovable three-hundred-pound kid with a blond mohawk. Jerry Sags was also a slab of a man with a black mohawk and one tooth missing up front. They took the numerous complaints from the boys about their stiff, sloppy work good-naturedly, as a bit of harmless teasing. The truth was they were as wild as two Brahma bulls in a china shop, and most of the boys loved them because they were true to the spirit of wrestling’s notorious wild men of the past. They reminded me a lot of Adrian Adonis.”

Is that one of the best descriptions of the Nasty Boys you can think of?

Would you compare the Nasty Boys to Adrian Adonis like Bret does there?

Now at WrestleMania…you know which got moved due to security concerns…the Nasty Boys on the grandest stage of them all shockingly unseated the Hart Foundation to end their 7th month reign and capture the tag team titles.

From the Observer

“The second best match of the night…4. The Nasty Boys won the WWF tag titles from The Hart Foundation in 12:08 when Knobbs hit Jim Neidhart with Jimmy Hart's helmet behind the refs back and got the pin. Bobby Heenan made a knock during this match at guys who hurt their hip and quit (in reference to Bo Jackson--real story here is that WWF tried to get Jackson for WM and they turned him down and since there were repeated references to this during the show, I guess there were bad feelings over it). They got heat on Hart for several minutes, including a few tags behind the refs back. Hart made the hot tag after Knobbs got Jimmy Hart's gimmick but Bret ducked and he hit Saggs with it. Neidhart made the hot tag and they went to the finish. A very well put together match. ***½”

First off - was there an attempt to get Bo Jackson to appear at WrestleMania?

This is a great match Bruce - who do you credit for it? The Nastys or the Harts?

Do you consider this the second best match of the night behind Savage - Warrior but in front of Hogan vs. Slaughter?

How high is the Nastys stock at this point?

They would also have a pretty memorable post match celebration with the rest of Jimmy Hart’s stable and Marla Maples in the back with champagne. Bruce - Marla Maples and the Nasty Boys. The comedy writes itself doesn’t it?

There was a lawsuit or Cease & Desist at the time regarding the name the Nasty Boys - do you know anything about this?

On the road now its the Nastys and LOD working together for the tag titles - what did you think of those matches?

Was this a tag team program you were excited for?

The Nastys first big title defense is on the final Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC - the original run - by taking on the Bushwhackers.

From the Observer

“2. Nasty Boys kept WWF tag team title beating Bushwhackers in 6:46. Nasty's at least sold the garbage (and that's what Bushwhackers' offense is) well. Bushwhackers look so bad with their unique ability to make every single thing they do look mistimed. After trading near falls, Nobbs pinned Butch Miller using the ropes for leverage. *¼”

This was not the classic at WrestleMania with the Harts was it?

Were the Nastys good with certain dance partners compared to others?

How did they handle their early success?

Were they starting to get babyface reactions early on as well? I mean they’re super entertaining - it had to be tough to keep them heel…I know I loved them…

This wasn’t one of those tag teams that you would’ve ever thought to split up right - there wasn’t a Marty & Shawn in this scenario - it wouldn’t have worked in a singles run together right?

If the Nastys had come along at an earlier time - there absolutely would’ve been a Brother Love segment with them right?

I say that to say…you leave the WWF in 1991 - was there programs or things like that you were excited to see the Nastys be a part of?

They would drop the tag team titles at SummerSlam to LOD and I wouldn’t say their push was dropped - but they would love at WrestleMania 8 teaming with the Mountie & the Repo Man to lose to Jim Neidhart, Sgt. Slaughter, Virgil & the Big Boss Man. Not exactly a sign of faith in them…

When you return to the company in 1992 - there’s a bunch of Nasty Boys vs. Money Inc matches on house shows - and it’s heel vs. heel. What did you think of this scenario? Are you a fan of heel vs. heel tag team matches?

Had the Nastys changed from the time you left to the time you had returned?

Was their reputation any different?

Jimmy Hart is in the middle of these Nasty Boys - Money Inc program as he’s managing both. Hulk Hogan is just a few months away from returning - was the plan in motion to make Jimmy a babyface?

Jimmy makes a decision to choose Money Inc to challenge the tag team champions at the time the Natural Disasters. When Money Inc are introduced - the Nastys come out upset - but DiBiase & IRS attempt to pay them off…but the Nastys would attack and essentially turn babyface. The Nastys needed to be freshened up at this point didn’t they?

2 years together with the Nasties & Jimmy Hart - it was quite the run wasn’t it?

The Nastys then would start teaming with the Natural Disasters at Survivor Series 1992 to take on Money Inc & the Beverly Brothers and the program between the Nasties & Money Inc would run up until WrestleMania 9 where - of course - Hogan returns. The blow off between the two teams never takes place as the Nastys step aside for Hulk & Beefcake - was that always the plan?

The Nasty Boys are super over in their brief babyface run - at the 1993 Rumble when they both come out individually as competitors in the Rumble - the pops are gigantic. Did you think there was more that could’ve been done with them as babyfaces?

There are rumors at the time that when Lou Albano was in talk to return to the WWF and he would be paired up with the Nastys. Was that something discussed?

The Nasty Boys are in a reported suspension after WrestleMania and the post European tour - which for those keeping track at home - was the reason why Hogan was made champion even though he wasn’t on the tour - do you know why the Nastys were suspended?

Their days in the WWF at this point were numbered - as their final matches were with the Headshrinkers and they finish up on May 16th, 1993 on Wrestling Challenge by defeating Barry Horowitz & Steve Vega. Why did the Nastys leave?

They would almost immediately jump to WCW and become tag team champions and be there for a few years before this would happen between the Nastys & the Outsiders:

Sags quote about the incident:

“The guy I punched in the mouth was pretty powerful in the company, my old buddy Scott Hall, I wish I could take that punch back a million times. Hall and Nash came in, I didn’t know Kevin that much…Everyone changes when they come out of that pressure cooker in WWF. It’s stressful, some of the guys turn into backstabbers, some guys deal with the pressure in different ways. We were doing a thing…I felt this blow to the back of my skull, it knocked me out, I had a concussion, the whole nine yards. I was mad about it, almost the kind of thing I was gonna fight him then, but I let it go. 

Did you ever hear this story or know what happened here?

This would lead to the end of the Nasty Boys in WCW  but Knobbs would stick around until 2000. Was there ever any talk or consideration of bringing them back at any point in time?

They would team on-and-off on the indies before a one night WWE return in 2007 in a dark match before a SmackDown taping defeating Dave Taylor & Drew McIntyre on November 20th in Tampa:

“The Nasty Boys (Jerry Sags and Brian Knobbs) worked their first match for WWE in years in a dark match at the Smackdown taping last night. The match was said to be a total disaster.

The Nasty Boys apparently treated the dark match as if they were major stars who just returned. They took too long getting into the ring when they came out because they kept interacting with their friends and family seated at ringside. Knobbs got in the ring with his back to the hard camera while Saggs came in and stood right next to opponents Drew McIntyre and Dave Taylor, making them look stupid. 

During the match, the Nasties were stiff with McIntyre who is only 21 and new to the main roster. He took the abuse for a while but eventually started giving out his own stiff shots to the Nasties. The Nasties even worked stiff with Dave Taylor even though he is a respected veteran. 

Some blamed the Nasties match taking so long for screwing up the entire Smackdown taping, causing it to end at 9:54PM ET and giving WWE just six minutes to change the ring and set for ECW On Sci-Fi.”

Drew McIntyre actually talked to us about this and had this to say:

“It was all very new to me as I had just arrived in America but Sheamus and Ted DiBiase Jnr had warned what to expect. Cover up or will get nose fucked up. First curtain sellout I’d ever seen and mostly left to Dave Taylor to handle”

What’s the reaction backstage to this?

Was this the end of ever having the Nastys come back?

The Nasties had a very brief run in TNA in 2010 when Bischoff and Hogan were at the helm…did you have any interaction with them at any point?

There are some legendary stories & ribs about them…

But the most famous I think is between them & Ken Shamrock. The story is Shamrock tried to stand up to the Nastys one night and they beat the shit out of him 2 on 1. Did you ever hear that?

What do you think is their reputation in the business?

Are they hall of famers?