83 Weeks - The Power Plant [Show Notes] (Patreon)

83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff!

AFS - upcoming Nick Patrick event.

Comments from Ric Flair.

Our topic this week - WCW’s Power Plant.

The original performance center is originally founded by Jody Hamilton - also known as Assassin #1. He opened the school in Georgia in 1989 and would become the official development school of WCW in 1991. Do you remember the first time you saw or went inside the Power Plant?

35:00

Also - Jody Hamilton - father of referee Nick Patrick…

What did you think of it?

41:59

The “Jody Position”

43:00 Criteria for the power plant

Jody had the reputation of only training wrestlers who had a large physique or had already been trained in the fundamentals of working a match. He did an interview with the St. Joseph News-Press in 1991 that he would only ask applicants just three questions to determine if they were worth training; their size, their age, and how much previous experience they’ve had. Do you think that’s him saying that to a reporter or did you get that feeling?

47:29

WHO was Jody Hamilton’s direct report?

What memories do you have of Jody?

38:00?

When you become a bigger part of WCW - did the Power Plant fall under your purview?

Was the Power Plant utilized for anything besides training?

How often did you check in on the progress of anyone down there?

40:00

The school would relocate near Atlanta in 1994. Was that a company directive? Was Jody considered an employee of WCW?

40:50

Was Jody Hamilton an employee?

54:31 Recruitng athletes vs independent wrestlers

At the time - WCW wasn’t charging anyone anything to come train at the Power Plant. If Jody liked your look - via photos or videotapes - he would set them up for a tryout and if he liked them he would keep them coming back. Did you ever think it would be a revenue source for the company?

48:47

HOW did the Power Plant recruit?

52:00

“Getting paid to train”

1:00:00?

1:07:56

Do you like the idea of charging them or the way the WWE does it now where you’re invited, signed and paid to put the work in there?

The Power Plant is officially named in 1995 and the tuition is charged at $2500 to come train. Do you know who came up with the name?

1:08:45

Along with Jody there would be various trainers coming in and out including the likes of Paul Orndorff, Ole Anderson, Medusa, DeWayne Bruce or as he’s better well known Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker, Bobby Eaton, Mike Graham and even Terry Taylor. Eric - who was the best person manning the ship so to speak that let you know when talent was ready - and what was that process like?

1:11:17

Do you think the facility was capable of putting out a good finished product and who was the best one doing that for the company?

1:14:45

“Finishing School” with Terry Taylor

1:21:47

Ole Anderson is an important name in the history of the Power Plant - and your career. You said this about him in your book:

1:27:35

Blackjack Mulligan Ole Anderson fight

1:30:25

Did Ole Anderson see the Power Plant as a demotion?

1:31:22

WHERE did Eric Bischoff fire Ole Anderson?

1:33:07

“I tried working with Ole Anderson first. I got frustrated with him because he was stubborn and ornery and hardheaded. As much as I liked him, I just got to the point where I couldn’t work with him anymore. So I sent him off to head the Power Plant, which was our training facility. I wasn’t exiling him. Ole was a great teacher and well suited to the job. But he didn’t see it that way.”

What were the issues you were having with Ole at the time?

“When I listened to Ole talk about strategic activities and where the business should go, it was obvious he didn’t understand wrestling’s new direction. His ideas were dated and unsophisticated. He had zero understanding of the business side of wrestling. He understood the world the way he used to know it. But when he would talk about the mechanics of a match, what you should do or shouldn’t do in the ring, Ole glowed. Passion filled his voice. Ole’s “feel” and understanding of the basics of the physical side of storytelling were very valuable. We desperately needed talent with good basic skills, wrestlers who understood psychology as well as the athletic side of our business. Ole could teach them all of that.”

I get that you think Ole is the perfect person to be teaching the feel of pro wrestling - but aren’t you worried he may poison the young talent possibly?

You would go on to write that you thought he did well at the Power Plant but Ole had a hard time letting go of what he thought was a demotion and how it was your fault. How difficult was he to work with once he was “sent” to the Power Plant?

You also wrote in your original book about how one day at the Power Plant Ole was burying you and how much you were a son of a bitch. Blackjack Mulligan stood up for you since he was grateful for having a job because of you - and he did it by knocking Ole out. When are you told about this story and what did you think of it all?

Was that the end of Ole in WCW?

1:35:37

There are some gigantic names that have come through the Power Plant during various points. Early on in their careers Kevin Nash & DDP got some training - and really most of DDP’s training was there. Do you think at the end of the day - between him & Goldberg - they’re the two that stand out the most?

Nash would have this to say regarding his time there: “He described the training facility as "half of a quonset hut where the other side of the building was carpet remnants". Nash has said that Hamilton's age limited the maneuvers he could teach, so much of his training focused on ring psychology.”

Kevin’s issues with the building aside - do you think that’s something missing in professional wrestling today? Psychology in the ring?

1:38:30

William Regal would have a different outlook on Jody and the training at WCW. He wrote in his book:

“Me and HHH used to train together at the Power Plant, WCW’s training facility in Atlanta. HHH hadn’t had a great deal of ring experience and was quite raw, but you could see so much talent in him. He’d only worked independent shows in New England then, the area he’s from. At that time, in 1994, WCW weren’t running many untelevised or “house” shows because house shows cost them money—so they concentrated on TV. That meant Paul was getting most of his ring time only at the Power Plant. We’d lock up there and I taught him everything I knew. He can do pretty much everything I can—and it didn’t take him long to learn either.”

When you look at who runs the professional wrestling world now and how much time they spent at the Power Plant - feels like you did something right with this place right?

Regal would go on to say about how they sought out Jody to learn the incredible ring psychology - taking advice from a man who in his career wore a mask but still made people feel the emotion even without seeing his face.

“Every tiny little bit of body language was used to tell the audience what he was feeling. So Jody was the best guide we could have. He started teaching us the rules of being a good tag team. They’re hardly followed by anyone any more but they’re very important, especially if you’re a heel tag team. You cut the ring in half. When you throw your opponent into a rope, it must never be the rope where his teammate is. Otherwise his partner would be able to tag him and when he didn’t, it would make no sense to anyone watching. It’s little details like that which have to make sense if fans are going to believe in what you are doing in the ring. Jody spent a lot of time with us, showing us all this.”

Just great stuff - and if you haven’t already - make sure you go listen to the archives of Gentleman Regal or read Regal’s book because if you want to learn about being a wrestler - it’s a great place to start.

1:42:34

DDP as he always has in his career, had a lot to say about the Power Plant. ““Frustrated by the lack of bookings he was receiving as a manager in WCW, Diamond Dallas Page — who was 35 years old at the time — decided to train to become a wrestler at the Power Plant. According to Page, both Dusty Rhodes and Eric Bischoff initially advised against it, but Power Plant manager Jody Hamilton encouraged him to pursue wrestling.  Page told Wade Keller of the Pro Wrestling Torch in 2011, "I lived at the Power Plant. I was constantly practicing my wrestling because they would not put me on the road. If you don't play guitar all the time, you don't get any good. If you don't get to wrestle all the time, you never get any good."”

What were your thoughts on Hamilton recommending Page train to be a wrestler after you & Dusty kind of shot him down?

1:45:07

Goldberg’s training has come up in various times and Bret Hart has been especially critical over the years.

“Bret Hart, who was forced to retire when a stiff kick from Power Plant graduate Bill Goldberg tore a muscle in his neck and gave him post-concussion syndrome, blamed the end of his career on the Power Plant training regime, saying "I don't think it was a priority to protect your opponent."

I’m sure that’s tongue in cheek with Bret…but I think this is an unfair criticism don’t you?

1:53:00

Bret Hart’s head injury

1:54:22 “Dirt Eating Red Headed Step children”

In 1995 - ABC’s Good Morning America would even come to the facility to spotlight it. Do you remember how you got Joan Lunden to come to the warehouse?

1:57:06

Among others at various times came through the school were the likes of Paul Wight, Buff Bagwell, Van Hammer - although maybe we don’t mention that one - Shane Helms, Kanyon, Glacier, Renegade, Ron Reis…

1:57:50

Chael Sonnen in the WCW Power Plant

Was there ever someone that you personally viewed - sent to the Power Plant - and never heard from again?

The founder Jody Hamilton wrote in his autobiography, Assassin: The Man Behind the Mask, "The Power Plant was one of the highlights of my career. I lived for that school." According to Hamilton, WCW management often ignored his input when it came to Power Plant trainees.”

Do you think that was the case - that his input was ignored?

1:59:14

The Power Plant’s rise to fame would be really in the years of 1996 & 1997 when it’s advertised on the likes of WCW Saturday Night with promotional videos. The hope is that you’d find someone to come out of that system and be cost effective like Goldberg was in the beginning is that right?

How important is it to find talent, cultivate it, and build on it - from a pay scale wise…because you can’t have a roster of all millionaires right?

2:02:22

As we talk about people that have come through the power plant and being able to make it - it was also where the celebrities went to learn is that right?

Between Steve McMichael, Reggie White, Kevin Greene, Karl Malone & Dennis Rodman - how crucial was it to have a facility that could do that for you?

2:03:59

Even Bob Sapp went down there before he made it big in Japan. Do you remember hearing about Sapp at the Power Plant?

Were you surprised he would go on to monster fame in Japan and MMA?

2:11:34

Regarding the training - and while researching professional wrestling for a BBC documentary in the UK, journalist Louis Theroux visited the Power Plant. He volunteered to take part in some training in an effort to show respect for the business, but when he asked DeWayne Bruce questions about kayfabe, he was forced to do a strenuous exercise routine. At one stage, Bruce encouraged the other trainees to call him a cockroach while Theroux was struggling to regain his breath. Theroux was later shown vomiting on camera.

Theroux later recalled, "Yes. I vomited while interviewing some wrestlers at the WCW Power Plant training academy. They had pressured me into a workout that I was patently unequipped to handle. I had had a greasy breakfast and pushed myself to the point of 'blowing chunks' — that's the term they used. And what was funny was Sarge, the head wrestler who was shouting at me, and who had been totally unimpressed by my physical efforts, was equally disappointed in my puking. He seemed to think it was too watery. He kept saying: 'That ain't nothing, blow chunks'."

Do you think this makes the company look bad? Or was it just a different time back then?

Does this even help pro wrestling standings in the media when things like this take place?

2:14:13

As WCW is looking for more and more talent an ad is run in 1998 - let’s take a look:

1998 WCW Power Plant TV Ad - YouTube

2:15:00

From the Observer:

“The Power Plant was advertised on WCW Monday Nitro. Once a month open tryouts were held for applicants aged 18 to 29. If the applicants made it through the three day try-out phase they would earn an invitation to join the school at a cost of $3,000 for six months training. Male applicants had to be at least 5 ft 9 in tall and 175 lb in weight”

Were you a part of this process? Were you aware of it?

2:16:06

WWE and NXT has gone through some issues in the past regarding training regiments, hazing, etc. Was this is an issue with WCW? Was there a lot of Turner oversight on it?

2:20:07

In the late 90s more talent is pushed out of the power plant when the wheels are falling enough, including the likes of Jamie Noble, Chuck Palumbo, Daffney, Stacy Keibler & Torrie Wilson. Was the power plant an indication of what the company was going through at the time?

Do you think it was a good facility? Do you think it produced TV ready talent?

From the Observer in May of 1999:

“Creating new stars, many of whom have to be totally new faces to come up with a fresh image, means setting up real training. The Power Plant, for all its hype, has been a total flop. How many stars have come out of the Power Plant? The Giant, who didn't become a star because he was taught to be a skillful performer or a good interview, and Bill Goldberg. They both had an incredible can't miss physical look and, for their respective sizes, exceptional athletic ability which overcame the fact that neither were anything close to complete packages when they were put out in front of the public. They got over on pure size and because of the pure size, were given a strong push on television, and the aura of raw power. Is the answer to find some young tall guys with some genetics and a little athletic ability, gas them to the gills, and push them to the moon? The Power Plant is filled with guys like that, almost all of whom are exposed as stiffs in their rare appearances on WCW Saturday Night. Real training is something the WWF has set up. Intensive camps run like the Japanese, followed with affiliations with minor league circuits where the guys can work a territory and do four to five matches per week in front of crowds and learn psychology before they are put into the big time.”

Do you agree with that assessment? Do you think the WWF - by using developmental territories in the mid 90s like Memphis had more success than a direct training facility like with what WCW did?

2:25:25

Also from the Observer right before you leave in 1999:

“There is an article in the current issue of Stuff magazine on the Power Plant. A reporter spent the day there to "learn the ropes" and included an itinerary of a typical day--2 1/2 hours of situps, pushups, leg lifts, squats, etc. 1 1/2 hours of running the ropes and taking bumps. The last 30 minutes were spent doing freestyle wrestling. No wonder these guys look so damn good physically and can't do a thing once a match starts.”

2:26:30

Was this an issue you continued to see with people coming out of the Power Plant?

“The Power Plant in its current form has clearly been a failure. I'm not there to watch it and contrast it with the WWF camp run by Dory Funk, which was a success, but WWF still dumped Funk from the picture so he's a free agent right now. A camp with a wrestling coach and a hands-on interview coach is a must, particularly with interviews playing such an important role.

A territory where guys work four nights or more a week is a necessity. WCW should embark on a loss leader program, running its own AAA territory. It could maybe even be called Georgia Championship Wrestling, but I don't like the idea of the show airing on TBS in the Saturday Night time slot because you don't want people seeing the guys that green every week on national television because first impressions are lasting. You could give a potential project some minimal exposure on the show, if they have a good look and potential, exposing their look nationally as a tease so people know about them, but can't readily see them in action until they are ready.”

Do you consider it a failure Eric?

“This developmental territory idea has been tried in the past, like to an extent when Bill Watts ran the show, and was largely a failure. The idea of running high schools in Georgia drawing 150 fans is terrible on the bottom line, and at the time the company was trying to make money, but new guys have to be put in the ring and new gimmicks for established guys should be tried out before being put on national TV to fail. The territory could use strong hands like Steve Regal and Brad Armstrong types with experience, to work programs with the younger guys. The guys need experience at doing interviews, doing goofy angles (which if they work can be stolen by the national company just as things like this were done in the old days) and learning to draw heat. WCW needs to actively recruit people with a good look and are world class athletes and the money and fame wrestlers can achieve today makes this a lot easier than in the 50s when generally speaking, better quality athletes by the standards of the time, were plying their trade as headliners.”

Was this a better plan as laid out by Meltzer?

“There will be more flops than successes, but you only need two Rocks and one Goldberg coming through your system every five years to make it more than worthwhile. These guys could go along with guys who love it and will migrate to wrestling on their own. We've joked many times that if a guy who looked like Juventud Guerrera or Toshiaki Kawada or Mick Foley for that matter showed up at the doors of the Power Plant, they'd probably be harassed into vomiting in the parking lot and never be back.”

I mean…hard to disagree with that last statement isn’t it?

It had to be a loss leader during your time in WCW right?

2:31:20

There have been some negative things said over the years…including from our good friend Mr. James E. Cornette.

“Jim Cornette published a blog on his website in 2015, which read in part, "The Power Plant was another school notorious for their 'conditioning' drills where guys would do calisthenics until they puked and take lots of bumps, and they even had a trainer that had a 'drill sergeant' gimmick, an underneath wrestler named Dewayne Bruce.

The Power Plant was also known for turning out very few actual star wrestlers who stood the test of time and ever worked anywhere but WCW."

Do you think that’s his assessment from the outside looking in?

The Power Plant obviously laid the ground work for what now is the Performance Center with WWE and NXT…do you think Triple H remembered his time in the Power Plant to put something similar together?

2:36:35

Eric’s vision for a Power Plant in Las Vegas as a part of the “new” WCW

2:38:20

Was the Power Plant TOO HARD?

2:46:00?

Bruce Prichard READ ERIC THE RIOT ACT

2:47:10

NEXT WEEK: THE RISE of Eric Bischoff