Episode 363: The Night Of The Double Turn
🎧 Listen to the full episode on Grilling JR with Jim Ross
Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
I think that was the main event at WrestleMania 13. I don't know what could have followed that damn match. Any match you could book, you know? Nothing.
I've been in the wrestling business since 1974. So I've been around a long time... but that was the exclamation point in the whole damn story. And what Bret did after the match was over, that completed the double turn.
It's very hard to pull off a double turn. Very hard. And sometimes you don't even realize that what's happening until it evolves a little bit more.
WWF/ECW partnership
We were kind of quasi-partners with ECW. We were helping fund their overhead. I think it was 50k a month. I believe it was. And it came out of my budget.
Attitude Era origins
Vince McMahon was the greatest heel in the Attitude Era because he fit so well with the guy that made the Attitude Era, Stone Cold.
The Rock's potential
I didn't know he was going to become the biggest movie star in the world. Oh, yeah, I knew that. We were eating gravy one day at the diner in Florida... you could feel it. That's one thing I've been blessed with is the feel for certain talents.
WrestleMania 13 booking
I didn't know who was scheduled to go over and that was Bret. I just didn't know how it was going to happen. So it's just hard to sometimes predict these things.
Kurt Hennig's 1997 contract negotiations
All Kurt did was to create a positive environment for himself to get more money and to get that gig down. He played both sides like a fiddle.
Billionaire Ted sketches
I didn't like that deal to start with. I thought I just thought we were wasting a lot of valuable television time on the Billionaire Ted's and all that other shit. It just took the air out of it.
British Bulldog vs. Owen Hart (European Title)
I thought the match was outstanding. And largely in part for Owen's generosity and unselfishness to his brother-in-law.
The Rock's early career
I don't know what their working relationship at that time with Rocky Johnson and Vince were. I know there was a period in that era that they had kind of fallen out of favor with each other.
Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn
Kenny had more charisma. But Dan Severn has so many great qualities. Even if we had done the program, a long program, short program, whatever, but we built up that big Shamrock and Severn match, Severn still had a future there.
