What’s the story?
Former WWE manager Harvey Wippleman was on Chris Jericho’s online podcast, Talk is Jericho, for an exclusive one-on-one with the current WWE United States Champion. Wippleman spoke about how the business has changed over the years, his growing dissension with Vader and an incident with the Big Show.
In case you didn’t know...
Harvey Whippleman was one of the most outrageous managers in the history of the business. He started out in Memphis under the guidance of Jerry 'The King' Lawler and went on to manage Sycho Sid, Kamala, Adam Bomb and Giant Gonzales. He played a significant role in the main event of Wrestlemania VIII when he accompanied Sycho Sid to the ring against a match with Hulk Hogan in a sold out Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis.
The heart of the matter
Wippleman recalled the time during the Attitude Era when Jim Ross ran the 900 number for WWE. One day, JR asked Wippleman to call on Vader for an interview with Howard Finkel after a match and the ‘Mastodon’ straight out denied it. Harvey told Jericho that Vader was rude to him about it and asked him to go away. Later when confronted by Jim Ross and Jerry Brisco, Vader backtracked and said that Wippleman had never told him about any interview. Wippleman claimed that Vader was a liar.
Also read: WWE announces the list of top 25 managers ever
Wippleman also spoke about how the business was much simpler back in the day when the fans thought that wrestling was real. He recounted incidents in some cities where the superstars had to stay in the building till 1 AM because the fans would be waiting outside to gang up on them.
Wippleman spoke of one such incident where his car was vandalised.
“My car had tobacco spit all over the windshield, tires flattened. It was bad. The heat was real back then. The people believed it. We believed it. We worked ourselves into a shoot back then. The business was so easy back then. They made it so complicated.”
What’s next?
Over the years, Harvey has assumed the role of the WWE’s concierge. He is the go-to guy when something needs to be done in the middle of hectic hours during WWE live events and pay per views. He takes great pride in his job because according to him, it challenges him on a daily basis and he is excited to hang around with the WWE.
Author's Take
Wippleman has grown to become a prominent figure when it comes to backstage operations in the WWE. His real life heat with Vader is an issue that he has addressed in the past too. However, that does not stop him from arranging props for matches and picking up new outfits for WWE superstars. Despite being the only man to hold the Women’s title in the WWE, Wippleman commands immense respect and adoration in the WWE locker room.
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